Everything Changes
by dg19
Summary: Sequel to Fool for Love. Bridget has run into some problems and is sent to live with her father and his family. See what happens with Tim and Bridget.
1. Chapter 1

**Hey guys, I'm back with the sequel to Fool for Love. I hope you all like the sequel as much as you did the first one. Please R&R and I'll try to update as soon as I can. **

**Disclaimer: I don't own the Outsiders, but I do own Bridget and any other characters that aren't familiar with the book.**

Chapter 1

'_Mom?'_

'_Yes, honey.'_

'_I-I'm pregnant.' She got this serious look on her face. 'I'm real sorry, mom. I never meant for this to happen.' Tears were falling down my face._

'_Bridget, go to your room. I need some time to think,' she said not looking me in the face._

'_Mom, I'm really sorry.'_

'_Just go, Bridget.'_

_I walked out of the kitchen and went to my room, crying. I lay down on my bed and cried until I fell asleep._

_-------------_

'_Bridget, come in here.' I went into the kitchen where my mom was sitting at the table. 'I'm sending you to live with your father.' I looked at her shocked and tried to protest. She held up her hand and silenced me. 'Apparently I'm not doing a good job at this whole mothering thing. Since being with Tim, you've had a pregnancy scare and now you are pregnant. This is too much for me.'_

'_Mom, please.'_

'_You will break up with Tim. You will not tell him about the baby, nor will you tell anyone else, not even Keith. You'll just tell them that you've decided that you want to get to know your father so you're going to live with him.'_

'_Mom, I can't break up with Tim. I love him.'_

'_Bridget, do not argue with me about this. You don't know what love is. You're too young. Tim sure isn't ready to raise a kid; he's not going to be able to support you. I certainly can't help you raise this child. I have my hands full with work and trying to raise you and Keith correctly, but I failed with you. I'm not a good enough mother for you, so you can go live with your father and his family.'_

'_Mom, please.' Tears were filling my eyes and threatened to fall._

'_You leave at the end of the month. You have that much time to tell all your friends good bye and to end your relationship with Tim. Start packing your things. Your train leaves early that Friday morning.' That was it. No argument. She left the room and I heard the door slam shut. I sank to the ground and started sobbing._

_-------------_

'_Soda, I'm leaving.'_

'_Where you goin'?'_

'_To live with my dad in California. I'm pregnant and my mom's sending me there. She said she can't take care of me. She thinks she's been a bad mother.'_

'_Oh, Bridget.' He pulled me to him and the tears fell from my eyes._

'_You can't tell anyone. No one knows anything except that I'm going to live with my dad. They just think I wanna get to know him. My mom didn't want me to tell anyone about the baby, but I had to tell someone. I couldn't lie to you; it's gonna be hard enough lying to Tim.'_

'_Shh, it's okay. I won't tell anyone. We'll keep in touch. Shh, don't worry.'_

_-------------_

'_Bridget, you can't be serious.'_

_Tears were falling from my eyes. 'I'm sorry, Tim, truly I am. But I don't love you anymore.'_

'_Bee, c'mon.'_

'_I'm going to live with my dad so I can start over, get away from all this drama in Tulsa. I need to go somewhere where no one knows who I am. I need a change.'_

'_Bridget, you can't just leave.'_

'_I can and I am. I don't love you anymore.' He pulled me to him and kissed me hard and passionately. _

'_Tell me that you didn't feel anything.'_

'_I'm sorry, but I didn't. You mean nothing to me anymore.' I saw the pain in his eyes and it was killing me to see how much I was hurting him. 'I gotta go. I'm sorry. You'll find someone else.'_

'_Bridget! Just tell me what's wrong! You know you love me!' he yelled at my retreating back. 'Bridget, c'mon! I love you! You can't do this!'_

-------------

"Miss, miss." Someone was shaking me awake. I opened my eyes and looked up. "This is your stop," the conductor said.

"Oh, sorry. I must've fallen sleep. Thanks." I gathered my bags and guitar case and headed for the door. I was about three months along and things were getting weird. No one saw me at home, so they didn't see my growing stomach, but many of the ladies on the train felt that it was necessary to rub and to talk to my belly. It was hidden; how did they know? It was getting a little annoying.

I stepped off the train into the bright sunlight and saw my dad about ten feet away. I walked over to him and put my bags down. "Hi daddy," I said and hugged him.

"Hey baby girl. You look so grown up."

"Well, when you're seventeen and knocked up, it's kinda expected," I said bitterly.

He frowned. "Let's get you home." He picked up my bags and I took my guitar case and we headed to his car, which just happened to be a Ford Mustang. I guess in this state he was a big time soc. "I didn't know you played guitar," he said, trying to start a conversation.

"Yeah, Soda bought it for me about three years ago for my birthday and I've been playing ever since."

"That's nice. Travis has been wanting to learn to play. Maybe you can give him a few pointers."

"Yeah, maybe." We got into the car and I stared out the window at the scenery. I couldn't help but think back to that long month before I was sent here. It was full of tears and sorrows. I hated leaving my friends and my family. Most of all though, I hated leaving Tim. I missed him like crazy. I had waited until the last possible minute to end it with him. It was killing me. I really hoped he was doing okay. He was in pain the last time I saw him, and I had caused it.

A few tears escaped my eyes and I quickly wiped them away. I couldn't let my dad see me crying.

"Well, here we are," he said about ten minutes later. I looked up and saw this humungous house in front of me. It was even bigger than the socs' houses in Tulsa.

"Oh my god."

"I know; it's a lot different from your mother's house. It'll take some time to get used to, but I'm sure you'll like it." All I could do was nod. I was stunned by this house. Where the hell did my dad get the money to own a house like this? "C'mon honey. Susan's waiting inside for you. She's dying to see you."

Susan? Oh right, the stepmother. Won't this be fun? My dad grabbed my bags and I followed him inside. "Honey, we're home!" he yelled into the house. I heard high heels coming from down the hall.

"Bridget! You're finally here!" Susan said coming over and giving me a big hug.

"Hi." I barely knew this woman and already I was annoyed by her.

"A new baby. Just what we need in this house. It'll be so exciting. I haven't been around a baby since Sarah was one." I just forced a smile. "Oh my, where are my manners? You must be starving. That train food isn't exactly the best thing in the world. I'll just have Maria whip something up for you."

"Actually, I was kinda hoping I could go lay down for awhile. I'm kinda tired."

"Of course you are. Charles, show your daughter to her room. We got to keep her as relaxed as possible. It's a lot of work carrying a baby." I knew then and there that I was going to be sick of her soon enough.

"C'mon baby." He took my bags again and led me upstairs. The upstairs was huge. There were so many rooms. I was definitely going to get lost in this house. "Here we are." He opened the door to a room and we walked in. I was stunned. The room was bigger than our whole house. What had my mom gotten me into?

"You just lie down and relax and one of us will come get you when dinner's ready." I smiled gently at him and turned towards the bed. I heard him walk out and close the door.

When I heard footsteps receding down the hallway, I lay down on my bed and just broke down. I wanted to go home. I didn't want to get used to this house or this town or this family. I just wanted my family and friends back. I wanted Tim. I should've been with him, not here in some socy house. I didn't belong here with them. Tim would've helped me through this. He would've lain here next to me and rubbed my stomach, and we would've made fun of the family that was downstairs enjoying dinner. This life wasn't for me. I didn't want to be rich. I just wanted to go back to being a greaser. Tim and I would've gotten by. I would've gotten a job and he would've too. We'd be together and everything would be fine. How dare my mom send me here! She definitely didn't know what was right for me. What was right for me would've been staying in Tulsa raising the baby with the man I loved. But no, she wouldn't allow that. Oh my god! I missed him. I loved him so much. What was I going to do without him here? I wouldn't see him again. This made me cry harder. Soon I just stopped thinking about things and just cried. I must've cried myself to exhaustion because before I knew it, I had fallen asleep.


	2. Chapter 2

**So, two chapters in one day. Y'all should be so proud of me. So, here's the deal, I have never been, nor will I ever be in the close future, pregnant, so please forgive me if I get anything wrong. I'm just writing the basics about what I know. So don't be too harsh. **

**Also, I should've mentioned that this story is going to be written like Fool For Love, only instead of only being in Bridget's POV, it'll be Bridget, Tim, and Soda. I'll be sure to let y'all know when it changes. **

**Disclaimer: I don't own The Outsiders. Nor do I own Forever Young by Alphaville, or One Fine Day by The Shirelles. **

**OK, OK, I know. Another A/N, but bear with me. This is vital info. J/K, but seriously. Just pretend that One Fine Day can be played with an acoustic guitar by Bridget. I know it really isn't that kinda song, but please just go with it.**

**So I believe I've gone on long enough, so let's proceed w/the story.**

Chapter 2

The next morning, I opened my eyes and saw someone sitting next to me on the bed. I rubbed my eyes and my sight became clearer. Some girl was there, just staring at me. I gave her a confused look. "I'm Sarah. You must be Bridget."

"Um, yeah."

"I can't believe I'm finally getting to meet you. I've seen pictures and everything, but it's not like seeing the real thing. I can't believe we're sisters. It's going to be so much fun with you around. I won't have to deal with Travis all the time. He sure gets on my nerves." Boy, this girl sure could talk. "And a new baby on the way. It's going to be so exciting. I've never been around a baby before, except for that time when Megan's mom had her baby boy, but it's not the same. This baby will actually be in our family. You must be so enthusiastic."

"Oh…yeah, sure." She went on rambling. Was she ever going to stop talking? "What time is it?" I interrupted.

"Eight."

"Don't you have school or something?"

"Yeah, of course. It doesn't start 'til nine. Daddy will be driving me and Travis in about twenty minutes. They're all downstairs eating breakfast. Do you want some?"

She was never going to leave me alone. Plus I was starving, so I might as well eat while she was droning on. "Sure." She got off the bed and I climbed out from under the blankets and followed her out the door. I made sure I stayed close while we were walking through the house. I didn't want to get lost on my way to the kitchen, or dining room, whatever they ate in.

It was indeed a dining room. "Good morning everyone," Sarah said all chipper. "Look who I found."

My dad and Susan looked up. "Well, look who's up. I would've thought you'd be sleeping all day," Susan said.

"Yeah, me too."

"Oh, Sarah, you didn't wake her up, did you? She needs her rest."

"No, I was just sitting in her room."

"You shouldn't have been in her room in the first place." Sarah looked down. "Bridget, this is Travis. You two haven't met yet." I looked at the boy sitting across from Sarah at the table. He didn't bother to look up. His mother apparently noticed this because she said, "Travis, say hi to your sister."

He reluctantly looked up. "Hi," he said, forced, glaring at me.

"Bridget, sit down and have some breakfast. You must be hungry." I sat down at the table, but was suddenly nauseous at the smell of the scrambled eggs and bacon.

"Um, bathroom?"

"Down the hall, first door on the left."

"Thanks." I got up from my seat and ran to the bathroom, ridding myself of pretty much any fluids I had in my body from yesterday, due to the lack of food that I had eaten. I sat on the floor for a minute, taking deep breaths. I stood up and splashed some water on my face. When I was back to normal, I went back to the dining room.

"You alright?" my dad asked.

"Yeah, I'm fine. Just morning sickness, no big deal." He still looked worried, but he didn't say anything more.

A few minutes later, he, Sarah, and Travis stood up. "See you later, hon." He kissed Susan on the lips. "Bye baby," he said, kissing me on the top of my head.

"Bye daddy." I sure sounded like a little kid when I said that. Whoa. Maybe I should stop that…Nah.

"Have fun in school," Susan said and they left. "I guess it's just you and me."

"Yeah, I guess."

"Just until next week, maybe. You're going to have to get enrolled in school, at least until the baby comes."

"That's good." I couldn't wait to get back to school. I know, I'm such a geek. I actually like school. I was always reluctant to stay home sick from school, even if I was really sick. Even if I wasn't going to Tulsa High, this school was better than nothing.

"So what're you planning to do today?"

"Well, I still gotta unpack. And I'd really like a shower. Later I'll probably practice my guitar or read. I'll keep myself busy." I really just wanted to sulk around 'my room' and think about home.

"If you run out of things to do, come see me. We could always go shopping or something."

I forced a smile. "Yeah, sure. I'll do that." I grabbed a piece of toast and nibbled at it. I really should've eaten more, but the smells emanating from the food were nauseating. "Can I be excused?"

"Of course you can, honey," she said smiling.

I got up and headed back to my room. This was one path that I was going to remember. I wasn't exactly planning to spend much time out of my room.

Once in my room, I decided to shower first. Did I mention that I have my own private bathroom off of my bedroom? I went in there and stripped down; hopping in the hot, steamy shower once it was ready. I didn't want to unpack yet. It was going to be a little emotional taking out all the things Two-Bit, the gang, and Tim had given me. I wasn't exactly ready for that.

About ten minutes into my shower, I finished washing up. I didn't get out though. I was putting off unpacking. I stayed in there and let the water rush over me.

Ten minutes later, I decided I had procrastinated long enough. I turned the water off, climbed out, dried off, and wrapped a towel around myself. I went through the door to my room and opened my bag, taking out a pair of jeans and a t-shirt to put on. Before putting the shirt on, I examined the picture on it: Mickey Mouse. Two-Bit had gotten it for me for my seventeenth birthday. Whether he bought it or lifted it, I don't know. Probably the latter though. It was gray and had Mickey standing in the middle. I pulled it over my head and sat down on the bed.

Man, did I miss my brother. Of course he got on my nerves quite often, but he was always there for me. He could always make me laugh and he was always entertaining at a party. We were close, not as close as the Curtis brothers, but we had fun. He knew a lot about what had happened in the previous year. He had been there for me and gave me advice, which I'm always unsure of whether to take since he doesn't always make the best decisions. Two-Bit was the closest thing I had to my father growing up. Now that I had the real thing, I had to go without my brother, who didn't even know he was going to be an uncle. I didn't like it one bit.

I got off my bed and went over to another one of my bags, which contained other possessions. I put it on my bed and opened it up. First things I pulled out, records, were nothing to worry about. Neither were the books. After that, I took out my first journal, which Soda had given me along with my guitar so I had something to write down lyrics in. It had other stuff in it, too, like thoughts or favorite bands at the time. I smiled and thought back to the first song I had written,

_My thirteenth birthday had just gone by a few days ago, and I'd been trying to think of lyrics since then. It was becoming impossible for me to think about anything else. It was frustrating me to no end, and it was rare that you'd see me without my guitar or a pen and my journal in hand._

_A few days later, we all heard that Mr. and Mrs. Curtis had gotten into an accident. Their car had been hit by a train on their way home from running errands. We were all heartbroken. We couldn't believe that that had happened to them. They were the best people in the world and they died. Soda, Darry, and Pony were just awful. It took quite the toll on them._

_I didn't really know how to take it. But I was suddenly inspired for songwriting. I took out my journal one day when I was at home and sat down with my guitar. I wrote FOREVER YOUNG at the top of the first page and started singing and playing, stopping occasionally to write down the words._

Lets dance in style, lets dance for a while  
Heaven can wait we're only watching the skies  
Hoping for the best but expecting the worst  
Are you going to drop the bomb or not?

Let us die young or let us live forever  
We don't have the power but we never say never  
Sitting in a sandpit, life is a short trip  
The music's for the sad men

Can you imagine when this race is won  
Turn our golden faces into the sun  
Praising our leaders we're getting in tune  
The music's played by the madmen

Forever young, I want to be forever young  
Do you really want to live forever, forever and ever

Some are like water, some are like the heat  
Some are a melody and some are the beat  
Sooner or later they all will be gone  
Why don't they stay young

Its so hard to get old without a cause  
I don't want to perish like a fading horse  
Youth is like diamonds in the sun  
And diamonds are forever

So many adventures couldn't happen today  
So many songs we forgot to play  
So many dreams are swinging out of the blue  
We let them come true

-------------

So that song wasn't exactly inspired by a happy event, but I thought it was pretty good. Maybe I'd try to play it again later. I put my journal down and stuck my hand back in the bag. I pulled out a jewelry case. I froze, tears springing to my eyes. I opened it and took out a silver necklace with a silver heart hanging down from the chain.

It had been a gift from Tim. It wasn't given on any special occasion or anything. I was just sitting at home, reading on the couch, and Tim walked in. He sat down next to me and handed me this box. I opened it and was shocked. It was beautiful and as soon as I saw it, I planted kisses all over Tim's face. He was laughing, one of his genuine laughs. None of that hard, tough, fake laughter. We ended up going to my room and making love. Maybe that was when I got pregnant. Hmm, I'd have to figure that out. I think we did it after that, too, though.

I had taken it off when I went to break up with Tim. It didn't feel right wearing it when I was telling him we couldn't be together. I never gave it back to him, nor did he ask me to. I looked at it again and then put it on my neck. I was never going to take it off again. I wanted to think about him, so there was no way this was going back in the box.

I finished putting away the rest of my things and decided that I needed a break. I was also kind of hungry. I walked out of my room and made my way to the kitchen. Yes, the kitchen, not the dining room.

I walked in and found a Spanish-looking girl, not much older than me, in there. "Hi," I said.

"Hello, miss. Can I make you something?"

"No, I'm good." I went over to the refrigerator and grabbed an apple. "You must be Maria."

"Yes miss."

"Oh, you don't have to call me miss. I'm Bridget." She nodded. "I'm not a soc, I just live with them. So please don't try and be polite. I'm a greaser, so you and me aren't much different." She didn't say anything. "Do you live here too?"

She nodded. "Right down the hall."

"Well, how 'bout you meet me back here tonight after dinner, and we can play cards or something. I'll bring the cards."

"Okay, miss." I glared at her. "Okay, _Bridget_."

I smiled. "See you later." I walked out of the kitchen and headed out to the porch, running into Susan on my way.

"Hello Bridget. Isn't that shirt just darling. Where did you get it? Sarah would love one like that."

"I don't know. Two-Bit gave it to me."

"I'm sorry, who?"

"Two-Bit, my brother."

"I thought your brother was Keith.

"He is. Everyone calls him Two-Bit though because he always has to get his two bits in."

"Oh." You could tell she was forcing her smile. "You and your friends sure have some odd habits."

"No odder than most groups of friends."

She was silent for a minute. Her eyes drifted to my neck. "That necklace is beautiful," she said, taking it in her hand and looking more closely at it.

"Thanks. My boyfriend gave it to me." A look of disgust came over her face, before it quickly disappeared.

"And would this be the same boy that got you into this…_trouble_?"

"Yes, it would be," I said, smiling sweetly at her.

She stepped back and put on that fake smile that was always on her face. "You should put on your bikini and go out and get some sun. This may be the last time you'll be able to be in a bikini for the next six months."

"Yeah, I'll think about it." I walked past her and stood on the porch, eating my apple. I thought I'd take her up on that advice. I didn't see the point in tanning my stomach if it wouldn't be showing much, but they had a pool, so maybe I'd go for a swim instead.

I finished my apple and went inside to throw it away. I made my way back to my room and changed into my bathing suit. It wasn't actually a great sight, but who was really going to see me anyway. I grabbed a towel and went to the backyard, putting my towel on a chair and jumping in the pool.

I stayed in the pool for about an hour, until I started getting waterlogged. I found a float and climbed on it, lying in the sun.

-------------

"Now who is this fine-haired beauty?"

I opened my eyes and looked in the direction that the voice had come from. Travis was standing there with another guy, both in bathing suits.

"My sister," Travis said.

"And how come I haven't met this splendor before?"

"She just moved here."

"Well, do my eyes deceive me or are you in need of some company?" he said to me.

"Your eyes deceive you." I climbed out of the pool and grabbed my towel, drying off and wrapping it around me.

"Ooh, harsh, my lady." He stared at me. "And does thy sister have a name?"

"Bridget," I answered. "And do you always speak in Old English dialogue?"

"Only in the presence of a beautiful lady."

I rolled my eyes. "Right."

He dropped the English accent. "I'm Lucas."

I shook his hand. "Nice to meet you."

"What happened to Sarah? Did you trade her in for a more upgraded version?"

"More like downgraded," Travis said. I glared at him and flipped him off. I walked inside the house. I heard Travis tell Lucas he'd be right back. I knew he was coming to talk to me. Maybe we'd finally get things straightened out. I knew what he thought of me, but I wanted him to say it to my face.

"Hey, stay away from him," he said when he had me cornered in the hallway.

"Oh yeah, and why is that?"

"Because he doesn't need someone like you ruining his life, so just keep your hands to yourself."

"I'll try, but I don't know if I can keep myself under that kind of control. I mean, look at me. Knocked up and only seventeen."

"Yeah, we all know what a slut you are, but keep away from my friends."

"Believe me, I will. I don't want any socs. If you don't remember, I was just fine back in Tulsa with Tim. I don't want to be here."

"Good."

"What exactly is your problem with me? How can you hate me so much when you don't even know me?"

He looked me square in the eyes and said, "I don't want a greasy whore for a sister."

"Well, I guess we're in the same predicament. I don't want an arrogant, jackass soc for a brother, but you don't see me complaining."

"Just keep your distance," Travis warned.

"I'll try my hardest," I said sarcastically. He walked off and I went up to my room. What an idiot he was. Like I wanted one of his empty-headed friends. I was just fine with pining over Tim. I didn't need any other guy in my life, thank you.

-------------

Travis walked back out to the deck and sat down at the picnic table with Lucas. "Seriously, man, how'd you end up with her as a sister?"

"Some greaser knocked her up and she got sent here."

"Your sister's a babe."

"Stepsister."

"Makes it even better, huh?" he said, punching Travis in the shoulder jokingly. "Get to hit on her and not have to worry. She's only related to you by marriage."

"Believe me, I don't want her."

"I do."

"You won't be saying that in a couple months."

"Au contraire mon ami. Since she's already knocked up, I don't have to worry about an unwanted kid after messing around with her."

"Luke, just stay away from her."

"You just want her all for yourself."

"That's gross, blood related or not. Why would I want some greaser whore when I can have any soc girl in town begging at my door?"

"Because this, my friend, is an adventure. How often do you get a greaser chick in this town?" Travis thought about it for a minute. He still didn't want Bridget, and he sure didn't want his friends to be fooling around with her. She'd only ruin their lives. He couldn't wait for her to graduate, have this kid, and get the hell out of their lives.

-------------

I changed into the clothes I had on earlier and then sat on my bed with my guitar. I just played around with it a little, running my fingers over the strings, playing a few chords. After awhile, I went through my mental library of songs that I had written and I thought of one that I wrote when I was still in Tulsa wanting Tim to be mine. Of course this was before all the problems that had started with Dallas. I smiled. I started playing the music to it and, shortly after, I was singing along,

_One fine day_

_You'll __look at me_

_And you will know_

_Our __love__ was meant to be_

_One fine day_

_You're gonna want me for your girl_

_The arms I long for_

_Will open wide_

_And you'll be proud_

_To have me by your side_

_One fine day_

_You're gonna want me for your girl_

_Though I know you're the kind of boy_

_Who only wants to run around_

_I'll keep waiting and someday, darling_

_You'll come to me_

_When you want to settle down, oh_

_One fine day_

_We'll meet once more_

_And then you'll want_

_The love you threw away before_

_One fine day_

_You're gonna want me for your girl_

I smiled when I was done. Someone walked into the room, clapping, and I looked up to see Lucas in the doorway. "I knew you felt that way about me," he said.

"You wish." I got off my bed and went to put my guitar back in its case. When I stood back up and turned around, Lucas was standing awfully close to me. "Can I help you?"

"Yeah, you can help me by letting me take you out Friday."

"Sorry, but I don't date Travis's friends."

"C'mon, we can work this all out with him."

"Okay, let me rephrase. I don't date socs."

"You're a soc yourself."

"Nope. I'm a greaser through and through."

"For now, you're a soc."

"Okay, let's try another tactic. I'm pregnant. Now why would you wanna date me when you could have any other girl out there willing to screw you?"

He pushed me up against the wall. Wasn't this déjà vu? "At least with you, I won't have to worry about getting the girl pregnant." Eww, I had to keep myself from being sick in my mouth. Fuckin' socs think they can have anything they want.

"Bridget, dinner!" I heard my dad yell from the bottom of the stairs. Thank god.

"I'm famished, aren't you?" I moved out from between him and the wall and made my way down the stairs. My 'family' was all sitting around the table. Travis had an angry look to his eyes when he saw Lucas come in behind me. It wasn't my fault this guy wouldn't leave me alone.

I sat down next to Sarah and waited for the food to be brought to the table. Maria came into the dining room carrying some plates of food. I smiled at her and she gave a small smile, not big enough for anyone else to see. She walked out and we all started eating.

-------------

That night, around nine, I went back to the kitchen with a deck of cards. Maria was already there, looking through a recipe book. "Hey Maria." I sat down across from her at the breakfast bar.

"Hi Bridget."

"You know how to play poker? We don't gotta bet or anything. We'll just play for the heck of it."

She nodded. "Okay."

I dealt the cards and we played a few games in silence. "So what's it like working here?"

"It's alright," she answered. "It was the best job I could get outta high school."

"How long you been here?"

"Um, three years."

"That must be awful. I don't think I'd be able to take orders from any of them for that long."

"It's alright I guess. It could be worse."

"Yeah I suppose. Do you ever have any time off?"

"Weekend nights I can usually get out if I let Mrs. Matthews know ahead of time."

"We should do something then sometime. We could go to the movies or something."

She thought it over. "That sounds good."

I smiled. "So you know all of Sarah's and Travis's friends?"

"The ones they bring here."

"What about Lucas? Is there a way to get rid of him?"

"What do you mean?"

"He's taken it upon himself to be the one to woo me in this town. And I wanna get him away from me."

"Well, if he gets too bad, just give him a good whack. That's what I did when I first met him."

"Good, I'll try that next time he tries to hit on me. Thanks."

She smiled and nodded. "So how come you are here?"

"In California?" She nodded. "Well, I got pregnant and my mom didn't want anyone knowing so she sent me here after making me break up with my boyfriend and telling all my friends that I wanted to get to know my dad, which I don't."

"That must be tough for you, being away from your baby's father."

"It is. I miss him a lot. We were together for a year and a half before this happened. I just wish I could've told him we were having a baby. He would've been so happy."

"What's his name? What's he like?"

"His name's Tim. He's supposed to be one of the biggest hoods in Tulsa, but I think that kinda changed once we got together. Sure, he still has his rep, but he's gone soft. He would've made a great dad. He's actually the one who said I love you first. I was too scared to love him, but he finally convinced me."

She smiled again. "That's romantic."

"Yeah." We went on for a few hours, just playing cards and talking about our lives and interests. I was content for the first time in the twenty-four hours that I'd been at this house. I had a friend that I could relate to. I knew what it was like to not have any money. The only thing was that she worked, where as I didn't. I had a feeling that I'd be getting a little more use to this place with a friend that lived in the same house.


	3. Chapter 3

**Hey guys. Another chapter for y'all. I'm hoping to have chapter 4 up soon, maybe tomorrow. I hope you enjoy. R&R.**

**I don't own The Outsiders.**

Chapter 3: Soda

Bridget had been gone for about a week and I hadn't heard from her yet. You would have thought she'd be calling everyday, saying she missed Tulsa and all but she hadn't. Maybe she really was enjoying her new life.

We all missed her. It was apparent to everyone. Pony didn't have anyone to talk about books and movies with. He tried to with me, but I'm not exactly into those things so I get easily distracted. It probably would've been okay if Johnny was here since they could talk, but he wasn't and hadn't been for two years.

Darry didn't have any girls around. He had always liked having Bee around. She added a feminine touch to everything. He went around trying to make everything as it was before, but the house was getting a little messy and unorganized. Bridget helped us in that department.

Dallas was back with Sylvia for, like, the hundredth time since he and Bee broke up, but you could tell he missed Bridget. She was always there for him, even after the incident they had over Tim. He was one of her closest friends and she meant everything to him. She was kind of like another Johnny for him, only he never slept with Johnnycakes. Ha ha.

Two-Bit was trying to act normal, like everything was the way it always has been, cracking jokes and fooling around. He went out and got drunk almost every night, but he was the worst I had ever seen him. He was missing his sister like crazy. I wished he knew the real reason she was gone and not the phony one her mom made her tell everyone. I wished I could tell him.

I was doing all right. Trying to get by without her. I was trying to act like everything was normal, but I couldn't. She was my best friend. How did you expect me to act? She was no longer right down the street when I needed to talk to her or when I needed her just to have a good time, like when we danced around her bedroom singing along with the radio. It was tough without her.

But nothing was as bad as it was for Tim. He loved her and now he was heartbroken. He was over our house a lot. It was as if the more time he spent with us, the longer he could hold on to Bridget. It was kinda sad. I had never seen Tim like this before. He was usually so in control and never showed emotion. Now, the only look we saw on his face was a depressed one. He was really not taking it well. He was always asking if we had heard from her, and we always had to tell him the same thing: No. Then, he was always asking if there was some other reason besides what she told us for her leaving. Two-Bit said there wasn't, but I knew better. Tim deserved to know. It was his kid Bee was carrying. But I couldn't tell him.

How did I ever become the one to have to keep this secret? I was her best friend, that was how.

-------------

The door slammed shut and I stuck my head out from the kitchen to see who it was. "Hey Tim," I said.

"Curtis." He came in and sat down at the kitchen table. "Any news?"

"Nope…sorry." He sighed and put his head in his hands. "You alright, Tim?"

"I just miss her, man."

I sat down next to him and put a hand on his shoulder. "I know. We all do."

"No, I _really_ miss her. After she graduated, I was gonna ask her to marry me." I was shocked and didn't know what to say. Tim was actually thinking about settling down, becoming a husband, starting a family. If only Bridget could've heard this…She probably would've broken down.

"I'm sorry, Tim. Really I am."

"Yeah, so am I." He stood up and walked out the door. Poor Tim. He'd get over it. He had to.

I was really anxious for Bridget to call. I wanted to know how things were going over there. Had she made any friends or started school? Was she getting to know her dad or getting along with his family? There were just so many questions that needed to be answered. Of course she was going to want to know how things were going here. How was I supposed to tell her that Tim was completely depressed and missed her like crazy? She wasn't going to take that too lightly.

I sighed and went into the living room, sitting down on the couch. The door opened again. "Hey Stevie," I said.

"Buck's throwin' a party tonight, you wanna go?"

"Why aren't you goin' with Evie?"

"I'm through with her. Can't stand her nagging anymore. So, you up for it?"

"Sure, I got nothing else to do," I said, knowing that they'd be back together by the end of the week.

"'Kay, I'll see ya back here in an hour."

"Alright."

-------------

As soon as Tim heard Buck was having a party, he got himself down there as fast as he could. He walked in and sat down in the kitchen, immediately getting a beer. He kept getting another and another. The music was blasting and people were having a good time around him, but he just stayed on that chair and drank away his sorrows.

He knew he shouldn't be doing this. Imagine what would happen to his reputation if someone saw him mourning over the loss of his girl. It wasn't like she was dead; she had just dumped him, broke his heart, moved on with her life. He had to get over her. He knew it was going to happen sooner or later, and it had been later than he had expected, but that didn't help. She wasn't coming back and he had to get that through his head. He gulped down another beer and got another one.

He had seen Curtis and Randle come in a few minutes ago, and Winston had been here with Sylvia when Tim had arrived. When he saw Sylvia, Tim remembered how angry Bridget had gotten at the fact that he had slept with her. They weren't even going together yet, but it had gotten to her. He should've known then and there that she had feelings for him that were more than just friendly.

He sighed and put his head in his hands. "Hey Shepard, missing that girl of yours, huh? Oh, wait; she dumped your sorry ass. She got sick of ya and got rid of you. She couldn't stand the sight of ya so much she even moved away so she wouldn't have to see ya anymore. She had better things to do with her life than waste it with you." Tim just ignored the guy next to him who was jeering at him. He knew what he said was right. Bridget could do so much better than a life with him and apparently she figured that out, too. "Now she's probably out wherever she is fuckin' some other guy. Probably a soc, too. She's screwed just about every greaser here that counted, might as well move onto the richies. Then again, maybe she left you because she cheated on you and got pregnant, just like Curtis's girl, which should prove to you just how big a slut she actually is." That was it; Tim had heard enough. He got up from his chair and landed a right hook to the guy's jaw. He just kept swinging and punching, connecting his fist with the guy's stomach and face and anywhere else that counted. Once the guy was down, Tim climbed on top of him and just kept hitting, letting out all his fury and misery on this guy who happened to get on his bad side at the wrong time.

"Tim, stop. C'mon, you're gonna kill the guy." He felt two pairs of arms pulling him off of the bastard lying on the ground, who was probably close to unconsciousness. Tim struggled to get back to him. "Shepard, c'mon. Let's go for a walk."

Once outside, he looked to see who was holding him. Soda was on one side and Dallas on the other. "I'm fine." Neither let go. "I said I'm fine!" Dallas looked at Soda and he shrugged. They dropped Tim's arms.

"What the hell happened in there?" Dallas asked. Tim started pacing and running his hands through his hair. "Shepard…"

"He fuckin' insulted Bridget! I wasn't gonna just sit by and listen to his bullshit! I had to do something about it! She's my girl and no one can say that shit about her!"

"Tim, man, she's not your girl anymore. She left," Dal said more gently.

It took Tim a second to answer. "I know, but you shoulda heard the fuckin' stuff he was sayin'. He said that she was just like that broad you dated for sometime," he said to Soda. "He said that she probably got knocked up after cheating on me and that's why she left." Only half true, Soda thought.

"It's not true, Tim. You know she'd never do that." Soda wished Tim only knew the half of it. Poor guy.

"Yeah, I know, but he was calling her a slut and making her seem cheap. I couldn't take it. I just snapped."

"We saw that," Dal said.

"C'mon, let's get you home," Soda said. Now that things were calmed down a bit, he could see that Tim had been drinking. He looked like he was stumbling a bit. He threw Tim's arm around his shoulders and helped him walk a bit. Soda looked over at Dallas. He sighed and came to help Soda; putting Tim's other arm around his shoulders and walking Tim to his house.

They reached the Shepard's house and went in, walking Tim to his room, leaving a puzzled Curly and worried Angel behind in the living room. Soda and Dal lay Tim on his bed, removed his shoes, and then went back downstairs. "What's wrong with him?" Angela asked.

"He's drunk."

"Oh," Angela said as she came to the realization.

"What happened?" Curly asked, wanting a more detailed explanation.

"We found him at Buck's drunk. We had to pull him off a guy who insulted Bridget. He nearly beat the guy unconscious," Soda said.

Curly sighed. "What're we gonna do?"

"I don't think there's anything we can do. He's depressed, he misses Bridget. I don't think anyone can help that except Bee and she's not coming back."

"We gotta do something. We can't just let him ruin all that he's worked up to since Bridget came along. I don't want him going back to jail," Angela said.

"I'm sorry, Ang, but we really can't do anything. We can't force him not to fight or drink. It's who he is."

"He's Tim Shepard for Christ's sakes!" Dallas added.

Angela sat down on the couch angrily. "I don't care! I don't want my fuckin' brother in the cooler again!" she said, close to tears.

Curly walked Soda and Dally to the door. "Will she be alright?" Soda asked.

"She'll be fine. Don't worry 'bout it. It's just Tim's never been out this long before. We were kinda getting' used to it, ya know. Guess that's out now."

Soda smiled apologetically. "See you later." They walked out and headed to the Curtis's.

-------------

"Don't you have to go back to Buck's?" I asked Dal.

"For what?"

"Sylvia."

"Nah, I'm sure she'll find some jackass to bring her home." I looked at him confused.

"Ain't ya gonna be mad? She'll probably end up cheatin' on you."

He waved it off. "I got other things to worry about. Sylvia's not really at the top of my list right now."

"I know what you mean." Now it was Dal's turn to look confused. "Bridget's kinda on my mind right now."

"Yeah, mine too. Then Tim's up on that list. He's really outta it without her."

"Yeah."

"We gotta keep an eye on him. At least try to keep him outta the cooler."

"We will," I said. I didn't even want to think about explaining that to Bee if she called. She wouldn't be happy.

We walked into my house and sat down on the couch, turning on the TV. Mickey Mouse was on again. Why was it that this show was always on? In a way, this show was kind of comforting though. The gang always watches it whenever we're together. It gave me a sense of security, I guess you could say. Whenever you got a problem, Mickey is always there on TV. You knew it wasn't going to change. C'mon, it's Mickey Mouse. How can anyone change the black and white mouse? Wow, I was starting to sound like Two-bit.

"How do ya think she is?" Dally asked me after a while.

"I don't know. Hopefully things are goin' okay." Since she hasn't called yet, I thought.

"She's gonna call or write, isn't she? Just to let us know she's okay."

He sounded kind of vulnerable, didn't he? "Yeah, I hope so. She can't keep us worrying about her forever." I paused and looked over at him. He was staring blankly at the television. "You really miss her, don't you?"

He looked over at me. "Yeah, don't you?"

"Of course, but it seems like you _really_ miss her. I don't think I've ever seen you look so…so….so vulnerable. It ain't like you."

He sighed. "I guess you're right. She's more than just a friend to me, ya know. She was my girl for some time and I did love her, no matter what she said. Even if it ain't as much as Tim does, I still love her. Even without loving her, you can't really just be friends with a broad like Bridget after sleeping with her. It's just impossible. It meant so much more with her. I don't know why, so don't ask, but it just did. Sex wasn't just something we did to pass the time, or for me to just get a good lay. It actually meant something, which doesn't happen to me often at all. She was different." He went on to mumble a few more things, more to himself than to me.

I couldn't believe what I was hearing. Dal loved Bridget. She really had no idea. She just figured that if he was cheating on her, he couldn't have such strong feelings. Boy, did she judge him wrong there. It must've killed him for her to tell him she didn't love him. No wonder he beat up Tim.

I didn't know what to say, so I just kept quiet and stared at the TV. We stayed that way until Darry told me I should get some sleep since I had work in the morning. I went to bed thinking about Bridget, Tim, Dallas, and the baby that Bee was carrying. It was all so unreal.


	4. Chapter 4

**Hey guys, I'm sorry that I didn't update sooner. I knew I said I'd update the next day. I know I shouldn't be making excuses, but here it is: I've been busy w/ summer reading for school (ick) and the new Harry Potter book (which is great by the way.) Well I hope you enjoy this chapter.**

**I don't own the Outsiders, but I do own any other characters that aren't familiar with the book.**

Chapter 4: Bridget

"C'mon, Bridget, wake up. We have school." Someone was shaking me awake so I was forced to open my eyes. "C'mon. Get ready," Sarah said, still shaking me.

"I'm up. Jesus Christ. Hold your horses."

She stared at me in shock. "Bridget, you know you shouldn't use that name in vain."

"Yeah, yeah." I pushed my blankets back and climbed out of bed. You'd think I would've been in a better mood since it was a school day, but I hadn't been in a good mood all week.

"Your uniform is hanging in the bathroom." I waved my hand to let her know I had heard her and then went into the bathroom to shower and get ready. Before I turned the shower on, I listened to make sure she had left.

-------------

"Good morning, honey," my dad said when I walked into the dining room.

"Morning," I replied. Travis glared at me yet again. I really couldn't stand this kid.

"Don't you look just adorable in that uniform," Susan said, looking up from her coffee.

"Thanks," I said sarcastically. Tim would've loved this uniform. It was awfully ironic, wasn't it? Going to see Tim in an outfit just like this, only to end up a year later actually having to wear one. Of course, this one was blue; the skirt wasn't as short as I'd like it, but I guess it didn't have to be short with me already being a mommy-to-be; my shirt couldn't be tied up; and all that makeup I had on before, out of the question. I would never fit into this school, so tomorrow I would try and spice up this uniform with some of my own personality. I smiled at my thoughts.

"It's nice to see you're happier this morning."

"Yeah, isn't it?"

"Well, you three better be going, or you'll be late," my dad said. Travis and Sarah stood up and I followed. Travis was driving us today. His car had been in the shop, but now it was back, so I had to follow all the rules of his car. Yeah right. I climbed in the back seat, because, apparently, I was not allowed to sit in the front. Him and his stupid rules. I'd get him back one of these days.

He drove to school and we all got out. Travis immediately disappeared, heading to hang with the rest of the dumb jocks. Sarah saw some of her friends and ditched me, saying she'd see me later. I was left all alone. Whatever, screw them. I walked into school and headed for the office. I still needed to get my schedule and locker number.

I walked into the office and stood at the front desk. "Can I help you?" the secretary asked.

"I'm Bridget Matthews. This is my first day." She got up and disappeared. She came back five minutes later with some papers.

"This is your schedule. You'll get your books in your classes. Here's your locker number and the combination. Let us know if you need any help with anything."

"Thanks," I said and left the office, heading for my locker on the second floor. I didn't have any trouble getting it open. We had lockers like this back in Tulsa.

I still had time left before the bell rang to signal the start of school so I explored the halls, noting whatever rooms deemed themselves important, a.k.a. bathroom, cafeteria, etc.

A few minutes later, the warning bell rang, which meant we had five minutes to get to class before we'd be marked tardy. I headed for my first class: English, room 210. The teacher was in there, so I decided I'd ask her where to sit, what I'd need to catch up on, etc. I was told by Mrs. Anderson to sit in a seat at the back of the room and was handed a copy of _Gone with the Wind_. This would be easy. I'd read and discussed this book numerous times with Ponyboy. I sat in my seat and waited for everyone to arrive.

The rest of the morning classes went by the same; me introducing myself to the teacher, being assigned to the back of the room because those were the only seats available, and being handed textbooks.

Lunch came around and I dreaded it. I actually had to eat in the cafeteria. There were no greasers at this school, which meant I would be surrounded by socs, which I had tried to avoid at all costs back in Tulsa. I walked in and stood in line to get my food. When I had it, I looked around for an empty table, which I didn't find, but I found an empty end of one table which was the next best thing. I took my tray and sat down at it.

I nibbled at my food. I didn't really want it. What I was really craving was one of Darry's chocolate cakes. Guess I wouldn't be getting that anytime soon. Maybe I could have Soda mail me one. Of course, it wouldn't be too good afterwards. I sighed and pushed my tray away after dissecting it for a few minutes.

Someone sat down across from me and I gave her a suspicious look. She was unlike anyone I had ever seen. She had shiny, short, black hair, lots of dark eye makeup, black lipstick, and black nail polish. No one dressed like this back in Oklahoma. "You must be new."

"Wow, thanks for pointing out the obvious." I was in one of my moods, so I wasn't exactly being friendly.

"You're not a soc."

"Correct again. You should be on a quiz show."

"Are you this pleasant to everyone?"

"Recently, yes."

"So how'd you come to land yourself here?"

"Well, let's see. Long story short, my boyfriend got me pregnant and my mom shipped me here to live with my dad."

"Ooh, tough. That would explain the bitchiness."

"Mhm."

She paused. "I'm Bella."

"Bridget."

The bell rang signaling the end of lunch and we stood up. A guy came over and stood beside Bella. He had dark, out-of-control hair that went just below his bright green eyes. "Bridget, this is Greg; Greg Bridget."

"Hey," I said. He nodded, smiling.

"You're in our English class. You got stuck at the back of the room," he said.

"Yeah, apparently that's the only seat open."

"Trust me, we can find you one next to us. Someone will trade with you."

"That'd be great." We walked down the halls and I stopped. "I guess I'll see you guys later. I gotta hit my locker."

"Yeah, wanna come to my house after school today? You can give us your life story," Bella said.

I laughed. "I'd love to. Um, meet me out front. I just gotta let my stepsister know, otherwise my dad would flip."

"Okay. Later." They continued to walk down the hall and I headed up the stairs.

-------------

"Sarah!" I yelled, running after her. I had been trying to get her attention since she walked out of the school. She finally turned around.

"Hey Bridget. How was your first day?"

"Alright. I don't need a ride."

She looked confused. "Why not?"

"I met some people today, so I'm goin' with them."

"Alright…Who?"

"Bella and Greg."

"Bridget, no. You can't hang out with them."

"Why not?"

"Just look at them."

"What's wrong with them?"

"Just look at the way they dress and act. We shouldn't dress like that."

"Guess I know what you think of me now. If you don't even like your own social class, I can only imagine what you think of greasers. I would've expected this from Travis, but not you. I'll see you later." I turned around and walked away.

"Bridget, c'mon. I didn't mean it like that!" I heard her yell after me. I just kept walking until I saw Bella and Greg waiting for me.

"All set?" Bella asked.

"Yup, let's go." I followed them to Greg's car, which just happened to be a cherry red corvette. "Stickin' with the soc means of getting around, I see."

"Yeah, parents got it for me last year and I needed a ride, so I got this," Greg responded.

We climbed in, me in the back being the new addition to this group of friends, and we headed to Bella's house. Greg turned on the radio to some rock music. Nothing I wouldn't have listened to with my friends.

He pulled into the driveway of a house that was just as big as mine. It was really going to take me some more time to get used to all these houses. We got out of the car and walked inside. "Isabella, is that you?" a woman's voice called from the kitchen.

"C'mon," Bella said, leading us into the kitchen. "Hi mom."

"Hello Greg."

"Hi."

"Now who is this girl?" Her eyes drifted to my slightly protruding stomach and a disgusted look came over her face. I smirked to myself. I was getting used to people judging me just because I was pregnant.

"Mom, this is Bridget. She's Charles Matthews' daughter."

"Really? I didn't know he had two girls."

"Actually, I'm his only daughter. Sarah and Travis are his step-kids."

"Oh, well I didn't know that."

"Yeah, I guess many people don't," I said, shrugging.

"Okay, now that you've seen me, we're going upstairs."

"Fine, wash all that black gunk off your face first. It's just awful. Why don't you wear any of those pretty pink shades that I bought you?"

"I like all that black gunk."

"What did I ever do wrong to get stuck with a daughter like you?"

"Well, let's see, there was that time-"

"Isabella," she warned.

"Alright. I'll make a list and leave it in your memo box. You can get back to me. C'mon guys."

We followed her up the stairs. "Wow, I wish I could've done something like that with my mom. Then I wouldn't be here."

"That takes years of practice. Plus, if you wouldn't have come here, you never would've met us."

"You're right about that," I said smiling. She opened the door to her bedroom and we walked in. It was about the same size as mine, but looked nothing like it. Of course it had a bed, a dresser, a huge closet, but she had dark colors all over her room—purple, navy, emerald, maroon, and black. Of course, there was silver, also, and that's not dark. "Sit," Bella said. Greg was lying back on her bed and she sat down on the bed, leaning against the backboard. I sat down cross-legged next to Greg. "So where'd you come from?"

"Well, you see, when a man and a women have some sort of feelings for one another, they tend to get a little-"

She threw a pillow at my head and I smiled at her. "Not what I mean."

"Oh, you mean what city," I said grinning.

"Duh."

"Well, then that would be Tulsa, Oklahoma."

"You're a long way from home, aren't you?"

"Oh yeah. Way too far for my liking."

"Did you have a boyfriend?"

"Of course, how else do you think I got this way?" I said, pointing to my stomach.

"You don't have to be goin' with someone to have sex with them," Greg said.

"Well, I do. I don't sleep with just anyone." Then I thought back to Dallas. I had slept with him, but apparently I was going with him then. And then I had had sex with Tim at one of his parties when I was dating Dallas, but I had really liked Tim, not Dal. So I guess I had to learn to stick to my own principles.

"So what's his name?"

"Tim Shepard."

"Tuff name. What's he like?" I thought back to the last time that I had seen him. He was hurting and it hurt me to recall that memory. I had to think about a time where we were happy together. I started smiling when I did.

"He's eighteen. He's tall, thin, muscular. He's got long, black hair that he greases back. Not too long though. He's got these dark blue eyes that I could just stare into all day. He's got a scar running down the left side of his face from his eye to his chin from his drunk of a dad. But it just makes him all the more gorgeous. He's always wearing these jeans that hug his hips just right and a black or white shirt, except when I'm around." They smirked. "He's absolutely sweet and gentle and loving with me, but when it comes to his gang or socs in town, he takes things seriously. He's gotta keep his rep up of course. He's supposed to be one of two of the toughest hoods in town and I suppose he is, except when he's with me."

Bella was smiling when I got done describing him. "I wish we had some guys around here like that. All of ours are too 'proper'. They dress too good and act like idiots."

"I agree. I met one of Travis's friends, Lucas. He's an ass. He keeps trying to get in my pants, which he thinks would be awesome because he wouldn't have to worry about me getting pregnant. Asshole."

"I've met him, and I try to stay away from him. He thinks that every girl in town wants him. He obviously doesn't get that not everyone wants his tiny thing inside of them. Isn't that right, Greg?"

"I don't wanna talk about this." She rolled her eyes at him.

"I wish I could meet Tim. He sounds amazing," Bella said.

"He is. I wish you could meet him, too, but he probably hates me now."

"Why would he hate you? You're the mother of his child for Christ's sakes!"

"He doesn't know that. My mom wouldn't let me tell anyone about the baby, not even my brother. She made me break up with Tim. It was awful. He was hurting so much. I told him I didn't love him anymore and that I was going to my dad's to start over and that he'd find someone else, which he probably has because he's absolutely gorgeous and so many girls would love to have just one night with him." Tears were forming in my eyes. I had to stop talking about this. Bella must have seen this because she changed the subject.

"Tell us about your best friend. What was he or she like?"

I smiled thinking about Soda. "Well, his name's Sodapop. He's seventeen and got honey-blond hair and brown eyes. He's happy-go-lucky all the time and always has this smile on his face that just draws all the girls to the DX, which is the gas station that he works at. He looks like a movie star."

"Is Sodapop a nickname?" Greg asked.

"Nope, it's Soda. He's got a younger brother named Ponyboy."

"Wow, you people in Tulsa sure got some weird names."

I laughed. "Only that family. Mr. Curtis was a unique person."

"What about your brother? Tell us about him."

"Well, his name's Keith, but everyone calls him Two-Bit 'cause he's always gotta get his two bits in. He's nineteen and is a senior in high school. Finally. He's got rusty-colored hair and gray eyes. He's always crackin' jokes, even if he's in trouble. He loves Mickey Mouse, school, his black-handled switchblade which he lifted, and blonds. He doesn't date anyone who's not blond."

"He sounds like a fun brother."

"He is." I sure missed him. And everyone else. All this talking about them was going to haunt me sooner or later. I was going to have to call Soda soon.

"Someday we're taking a trip down there, and you are gonna introduce us to all these people."

"Deal." I'd definitely take them down to Tulsa. They'd love all the people down there. They weren't like the socs up here, so maybe they'd enjoy being around greasers.

"Do you have a nickname? Bridget is too much to say," Bella said.

"It's only two syllables." She shrugged. "Bee."

She thought about it for a minute. "Has anyone ever called you Bumble Bee?"

"Yeah, that's what Soda calls me all the time, but only him. I wouldn't let anyone else."

"Oh. Well, Bee it is then."

"Isabella, time for dinner!" her mother yelled from the bottom of the steps.

"You wanna stay?" she asked me.

"Sure, it's better than goin' home."

"Okay, c'mon." She got up and Greg and I followed her to the dining room.


	5. Chapter 5

**I don't own the Outsiders. I only own Bridget, Bella, and anyone else who isn't familiar**

Chapter 5: Soda

The phone started ringing and Pony answered since he was closest to it. "Hello…Can I tell him who's calling?" He looked over at me. "Here, Bella from the DX."

I was confused. I didn't know a Bella from the DX or anywhere else, but I took the phone anyway. "Hello?"

'_Oh my god! You have such sexy voice! I so wish I could meet you!'_

"Who is this again?"

'_Oh, sorry. I'm Bella. I'm a friend of Bridget's. Hold on, I'll give her the phone.'_

I waited and heard the phone being passed around on the other end. _'Sodapop?'_

"How come you never told me I had a sexy voice, huh, Bumble Bee?" I said and I heard her laugh. "Long time no talk." Pony had left with Two-Bit to go to the Nightly Double and Darry was working late, so I didn't have to worry about anyone hearing this conversation.

'_I know. I miss you guys so much.'_

"We miss you, too. It ain't the same without you."

The other end was silent for a moment. _'How're things at home?'_

"Tulsa's Tulsa. Nothing different about it."

'_How're you doin'? Any dates?'_

"I'm alright, and no, no dates."

'_C'mon Sodapop. Choose one of your adoring fans.'_

I laughed. "I'll get right on that. How're things there?"

'_Just awful. I don't fit in at all. They're a bunch of socs. They have this huge house and my dad drives a Mustang. If it wasn't for Bella and Greg, I'd be so alone.'_

"Whoa."

'_I know. And I now attend private school. I have to wear a uniform. Isn't that insane? Tim would've loved it.'_ How was I going to tell her what had happened?

"Think of it this way: now ya don't gotta worry about what to wear."

She laughed. _'You're right about that. And I haven't even gotten to the worst part. My stepmom is trying to get close to me; Sarah never shuts up; and Travis hates me for the lone reason of me being a greaser.'_

"C'mon, Bee. That can't be true."

'_But it is. He told me so. He's been being an ass to me since I arrived, so I asked what his problem was and he told me he didn't want a greasy whore for a sister. So I told him I didn't want an arrogant, jackass soc for a brother. I don't think we'll be getting along.'_

"You'll be fine. You always are. It'll all smooth over eventually."

'_I hope so.'_

"So how is the mommy-to-be, with the exception of her new environment?"

'_Eh, I'm alright I guess. I'm always tired and I'm constantly craving Darry's chocolate cake, but on the bright side, no more morning sickness.'_

"Woo hoo." She laughed. "I'll have to see what I can do about the cake."

'_I knew you'd come through for me. How is Darry anyway?'_

"He's okay. He's still working a lot. Need to pay the bills somehow I guess. I must say though, our house is the messiest it's ever been. Darry can't quite get it the way you could."

'_Well, that's because he doesn't have any femininity in him,'_ she teased. I smiled. _'And how's Pony?'_

"Always has his nose in a book. He's missin' ya. He's got no one to talk smart with. He tried with me. I zoned out."

'_Soda! You're supposed to listen to your brother!'_

"Yeah, yeah, I know. But you know how I am with all that book stuff. I can't sit still long enough to read one."

'_Don't I know it. Try harder. Maybe I'll think about writing to him just so he has someone to talk to.'_

"Be my guest."

'_So, now that we're through your family, how's the rest of the gang?'_

"Well, Steve is doin' just fine. Fixin' cars and hangin' out with Evie. Nothing out of the ordinary for him. And Dal misses ya. We all know he does. He's back with Sylvia for the thousandth time. Ya know, for him apparently loving her, it ain't lookin' too good."

'_It ain't his fault, I'm sure. Damn Sylvia. She ruins everything for him. He could find someone so much better.'_

"He did. Remember? Then you dumped him."

'_Oh thanks, Soda. Blame it all on me.'_

I laughed. "Okay, I will." I could just picture her sticking her tongue out at me.

'_How's my mom and Two-Bit?' _she asked, the joking tone gone from her voice.

"Well, I don't see your mom much, so I really don't know. And Two-Bit's acting like nothing's changed. He's cracking jokes and fooling around, but all that fun doesn't reach his eyes. He's trying to act normal, so, naturally, that means he's missing you like crazy, since we all know he's nowhere near normal."

She laughed a little. _'I miss him so much. I always thought he was annoying, but now that I have my dad and Travis, I'm missing my big brother's comic antics.'_

"Well, maybe you should start talkin' to him."

'_I couldn't. It'd be too hard to pretend everything's all right over here. I'd probably start crying as soon as I heard his voice.'_

"He'd love to hear from you."

'_Yeah, I know, but I just can't. Not yet anyway.'_

"Alright."

The other end became quiet and I knew what was coming next. _'How's Tim?'_

"Well…"

'_Soda, please tell me.'_

I sighed. "He ain't doin' too good. He's always drinking and getting in fights. And…"

'_And what?'_

"He robbed a convenience store and the clerk shot him, just like what happened to Dallas."

'_Oh my god! Is he okay?'_

"Yeah, nothing serious. Only he's in the cooler now for the next few months."

'_Oh, Soda, this is all my fault,'_ she said. You could tell she was trying to hold back her tears.

"How can it be your fault? You're not even here."

'_That's exactly why it's my fault. When me and Tim were goin' together, he didn't fight and rob stores. He never ended up in jail. If I was there, everything would be fine.'_

"Think of it like this: those guards down at the jail were probably wondering what the hell happened to him. They missed his usual visits. He's catching up with old friends," I said, trying to lighten up the situation.

It worked a little, but not much. _'Soda, this sucks. What possessed him to do such a thing?'_

"He's depressed, Bridg. He thinks he did something wrong. He thinks…He thinks you finally figured out you're too good for him."

'_I'd never think that. He's perfect for me. I don't want anyone else. He's everything to me. I love him. We made a child together for Christ's sakes!'_

"I know, Bee, I know."

I heard yelling in the background of her house. _'I gotta go. I'll pay for the call so Darry doesn't have to.'_

"It's okay, Bumble Bee. You don't gotta do that. You just take care of yourself and that baby of yours. And make sure you send pictures of that baby."

'_I will. One is in the mail as we speak. Talk to you later, Sodapop.'_

"Bye." I waited until she had hung up to put down the receiver. Then I went over to the couch and sat down, putting my head in my hands.

I sighed. This was getting to be too much. I wished she would've just told Tim, despite her mom's orders. He needed to know about his baby. If he did, he wouldn't be going through all of this trouble and Bridget would be here, not hundreds of miles away in California. They'd be here in Tulsa, raising a family. I know that I've thought this a lot lately, but it was true. If you love someone, you shouldn't be torn apart from one another like Sandy and I were. It was almost the same situation, except Bridget was carrying Tim's kid, while Sandy wasn't carrying mine. But we did love each other, just like they loved one another. It was just a stupid misunderstanding that drove Sandy into the arms—or should I say bed—of another man. And now she was paying the price. Bridget was too, but not in the same way. She was paying the price of loving someone, which shouldn't be a crime at all, except in the eyes of her mother when she gets pregnant by making love to that person.

Life could be so complicated sometimes, this being one of those times. Why did things like this have to happen to great people? Bridget didn't deserve to be separated from her friends and family just because she made the innocent mistake of not using protection one time. This wasn't right.

I sighed again. I really had to figure out how to handle this on my own. Maybe next time I talked to Bee, I'd talk her into letting me tell one of the gang. I needed someone else who knew, someone else who could help keep this secret.


	6. Chapter 6

**So here's another chapter for y'all. I'd like to thank Girlz Rule for the inspiration. You helped me out a lot. And I'd like to apologize in advance for Tim and Dallas being kinda out of character. Don't kill me for it. Hope you enjoy.**

**I don't own the Outsiders. I only own Bridget and any other unfamiliar characters.**

Chapter 6: Bridget

I was sitting at my desk, attempting to do homework, but failing miserably. I couldn't concentrate on anything but Tulsa and everyone I left behind. It had been a few weeks since the phone call with Soda and I was feeling more homesick than ever.

I received a letter from him yesterday, the recipe to Darry's chocolate cake attached. Soda had mentioned maybe telling Pony about my current situation. I didn't think it was such a bad idea. I knew I could trust Pony with this secret. He wouldn't tell anyone. I'd love to tell Two-Bit, but then he'd flip out on mom and I didn't want that happening. He was all she had left.

Anyway, as soon as I saw the recipe, I brought it down to Maria to see if she could make it. I told her I'd love her forever if she could. I would've made it myself, but I wasn't much of a cook. She agreed and now I just had to wait until tomorrow to have it since she needed time to get the ingredients. I had such a major craving.

I sighed and put my chemistry book aside, taking out a clean piece of paper and a pen. I sat back and stared at it. I knew I wanted to write a letter, but I wasn't sure if I was ready to do this now. Once I opened the lines of communication with the gang, I wouldn't be able to close them. It might make it harder to not tell anyone about the baby. Why did things have to be so complicated?

I finally decided I was going to do this. I picked up the pen and started writing:

_Dear Ponyboy,_

-----------

"Hey Pony. There's a letter here for ya," Darry said as he sifted through the mail.

"From who?"

"I don't know. It only says some address in California." Soda's ears perked up at that. Apparently so did the rest of the gang's.

"Who do you know in California, Pony?" Two-Bit asked.

"I don't know." He sat down on the couch and opened it. His eyes went straight to the signature at the bottom. "It's from Bridget!" The gang seemed very interested now.

"Read it, Ponyboy," Dallas said eager to hear anything from her.

"_Dear Ponyboy,_

_How are you guys doing? I miss you all something awful. It ain't the same without you all with me. I miss Tulsa and I can't believe I'm not going to high school with you guys. Things are going pretty good here. I made some friends, Bella, Greg, and Maria. Bella and Greg are from school and Maria actually works for my dad. So get this, I go to private school now. Uniforms and everything! Can you believe it? Me a private school girl? I got quite the laugh out of it. Of course, the skirt's not as short as my other ones and I can't exactly dress the way I want to all the time, but it's not all that bad. And Pony, guess what book we're reading in English. _Gone with the Wind. _I oughta do good on that test, seeing as we've talked about it so much. I'll pass with flying colors. _

"_Make sure you talk to the rest of the gang for me. You make sure they know I miss them like crazy. They're all I think about. You make sure you tell them all of this: Darry I miss you, muscles and all. I miss you telling me what to do and acting like that father figure. Hate to break it to you, man, but you're no more of a father to me than Two-Bit is. I love you like a brother. Make sure you loosen up and get yourself a girl before they're all taken." _Darry let out a chuckle and grinned.

"_Speaking of Two-Bit, I miss you like crazy. It's so weird without you. I've never been without you in my life, but yet here I am. My life is so uneventful without you. No one here can crack jokes like you can. Actually, no one out here has much of a sense of humor, including our loving step-brother and step-sister. I really don't know how to sum up how much I miss you, big brother. I hate that you're not here for me and I hate that you can't help me and that I can't talk to you about things, like we did with the whole Tim situation that one time." _Tim looked up at the mention of his name and looked questioningly at the elder Matthews. He just shrugged. _"Well, I guess all I can say is I miss you and tell Mom I miss her. You make sure you hang onto Kathy, too. She's a keeper. Don't get too worked up over all the stupid stuff you fight over. You two are meant to be. I love you so much._

"_Let's see, what is there to say to Stevie? I miss you. (I know this phrase is going to get old but I'm going to say it to each of you.) You definitely need to loosen up, just like Darry, and you gotta work out whatever problems you're having or sure to have with Evie, just like Two-Bit and Kathy. I better not hear that you two have broken up for good. Okay, and I'm not trying to be mean or judgmental or anything, because we all know I'm far from perfect, but be nicer to people, especially Pony. I know you two don't get along, but it'd make me happy if you would. Show everyone the side me and Soda know you have. The sweet, caring Steve. Not everyone likes your sarcastic remarks, including me and Soda, so please just try and be nicer. I hope you still enjoy working on cars and someday you'll even own your own garage. Of course, you'll probably still be working on the cars even though you won't have to. Loosen up._

"_Next, the loosest one in the group: My best friend forever, Sodapop Curtis. Oh boy. I definitely miss you. I can't believe I'm surviving without you. You better find yourself a girl. You have plenty of admirers down at the DX. Choose one and show her a good time. When I get a letter back, it better say you found someone or that you've at least been on a few dates. Okay, just know that even though I've made really good friends here, that you'll always be my best friend. That ain't ever going to change. I love you very much. I couldn't picture not knowing you. Miss you. And you can. It's alright."_

"Soda, what's she talkin' 'bout?" Pony asked, questioning the last part.

"Nothing," Soda replied, knowing he'd explain later. Pony went back to reading.

"_Dallas Winston. Jeeze, what's crazy is that I know exactly what to say to you. I had to think about what to write for the others, but not you. Well, I guess what I wanna say is that unlike Steve and Two-Bit, you don't need Sylvia. I know I really shouldn't be telling you this, but she's not right for you. She just uses you. I've known her longer than you have and she's a…well, she's a bitch. You really need to find someone who treats you so much better. I know you can find someone better. So the next part is going to sound mushy, but, hey, I'm a mushy kinda person with you. I love you, no matter what I've said. I do love you. I mean, it's not the kinda love where I wanna marry you someday, but it's not a friend's kinda love either. My feelings for you are just so complicated. I know it must sound stupid, but that's how I feel. Stay outta the cooler and at least attempt to stay out of trouble."_

Tim couldn't help but feel a little jealousy after hearing what Bee had written to Soda and Dallas. She had said she'd loved both of them. Maybe there was more going on between them than she had let on. He quickly regained his cool composure. He shouldn't care. They were over. What did it matter if she had feelings for someone else?

"_I guess you're last, Pon. Don't take it the wrong way because you know I'd never put you last. I only did it because I was writing to you. Of course, you could always think of it as 'saving the best for last' or 'first is the worst' (sorry Darry) or some other saying. Well, my dreamy friend, you keep reading and watching those sunrises and sunsets. Stay gold._

"_Oh, and Pony, if you see Tim,"_ Tim was definitely listening now, _"tell him I'm sorry for everything. I never meant to hurt him, but I had to get away. Make sure he knows I still care about him. Just because we broke up doesn't mean we can't be friends. Just…just make sure he knows that. I couldn't stand losing him completely. I don't want him out of my life._

"_Well, I miss you all. Can't wait to hear back from you._

_Love, hugs, and kisses,_

_Bridget."_

Pony looked up from the letter. It seemed as if everyone was close to tears. "Is that all?" Two-Bit asked. Pony nodded. His nod was followed by more silence. Tim stood up and walked out. The gang all looked around at one another, feeling the heartbreak that he was feeling. It had seemed as if Tim was getting somewhat better, but Bridget's letter had just reopened the wound.

"I'll go check on him," Dally said, standing up and walking out after him.

The others remained in silence, not knowing what to say or do.

-----------

"So what's this about?" Pony asked Soda once they were in their room, safely away from other ears. Soda had asked to talk to him once everyone had recovered from Bridget's words and Tim's hasty departure.

"Okay, you know how Bee wrote 'Yes, you can. It's alright'?" Pony nodded. "Well, there's another reason that she left. She only told me. No one else was supposed to know. She called me awhile back. Remember Bella from the DX?" Pony nodded again. "It was really her friend, Bella. And I wrote to her last week or something like that and asked her if it was alright if I told you her secret since its hard keepin' it to myself. That's what she meant in the letter."

"So why'd she really leave?"

"She's pregnant. Her mom didn't want her here, I guess, attempting to raise a kid with hoods, so she sent Bee to her dad's. No one else knows so you can't tell anyone."

"I won't. I promise." Soda sighed in relief. He knew Pony would keep to his word. "So, is it Tim's?"

"What? Yeah," he answered, a little distracted at first.

"Then, why didn't she tell him? At least, then he wouldn't be mopin' 'round like he is. He'd know she still loves him."

"But I think it'd be worse if he knew about the kid. He'd wanna go off and find her and bring her back. Mrs. Matthews didn't want that."

Pony sighed. "Why'd you bring me into this? You know I hate keepin' secrets. And it's gonna be hard when Tim's here all the time."

Soda grinned sheepishly. "Sorry." They were silent. "Hey, wanna see a picture of the baby?"

"She couldn't of had it yet."

"Nah, but it's the sonogram picture. She sent it to me and it arrived last week I think," Soda said, getting it out from one of his drawers. He handed it to Pony. "I mean, it ain't much to look at, but it's still the baby. She didn't tell me what it was. She didn't want to know. But I'm predictin' it's a girl."

"Yeah, I can picture Bridget with a girl. She'd be real cute, too." Pony and Soda stood there together, staring at the sonogram a moment longer.

-----------

"Shepard, wait up!" Dallas called at Tim's back. He was running out of breath. After he'd left the Curtis's house, he had found out pretty quick that Tim hadn't gone home. Since then, he'd been running around town for the past fifteen minutes searching for him.

Tim didn't stop. Dal ran faster. "Tim, wait." He placed a hand on Tim's shoulder and Tim turned around swinging at him. Dallas realized too late what was happening and Tim's fist connected with his jaw. The unexpected blow sent him stumbling back a few steps. "Man, what's wrong?"

Tim swung again, this time blocked by Dal's arm. "'I'm a mushy kinda person when it comes to you. No matter what I've said, I do love you.' Sound familiar?" Tim swung and this time his fist hit Dallas's abdomen.

"Tim, she didn't mean it like that. I know she doesn't love me like you're thinkin' she does," Dal said, still defending himself from Tim's blows.

"'Make sure he knows I care about him'…'Just friends'…'Don't want him outta my life.' Well it's too late for that. I'm out."

Dal looked Tim in the eye for the first time since this little fight began. He could see tears threatening to spill over. "Aww, Tim," he said more sincerely. He walked closer to Tim and put his arms around him. Tim struggled at first, but then gave into Dal's embrace and buried his head in Dally's shoulder, letting the tears come. Tim gripped at the back of his shirt and cried into his best friend's shoulder.

"How could she do this to me, man? I love her."

"I know…I know," Dal said, rubbing the back of Tim's head soothingly.

"She told me she didn't love me anymore. Said she was leaving to start over. She said she felt nothing when I kissed her." Dallas was shocked. He had never heard this part of the story. He had only known that they had broken up, not that all that had gone down. "I can't just be friends with her, man. I love her too much to do that." Dallas didn't know what to say to his friend's words. "Didn't realize how much I'd need her until she left." Tim continued to let out everything.

It must've looked funny to anyone who passed by—two hoods hugging on the sidewalk. But Tim and Dal didn't pay any attention to what was going on around them. Dallas's only priority at the moment was comforting his best friend in the best way he knew how.

A little while later, Tim pulled away, suddenly realizing what he was doing and who he was doing it in front of. It wasn't like him to cry and show emotion like this. He wiped at his eyes and turned towards his house, not saying another word to Dallas.

Dallas had figured out what had happened. It wasn't ordinary for a greaser to be so open with what he was feeling, unless it was anger. Oh well, he had done the best he could. He turned around and headed back to the Curtis's.

-----------

Tim walked into his house and headed for his bedroom, running into Angel on his way. She had to do a double-take on him. "Tim, what's wrong?" she asked concerned.

"Nothing."

"C'mon, I can tell something's wrong."

"Angel," he said warningly. She frowned and walked off, not wanting to get him angry with her. He walked into his room and shut the door. He flopped down on his bed and closed his eyes.

He couldn't understand how he had let Dallas see his tears. Hell, he couldn't believe he had even cried. He hadn't cried since he was eight. He didn't even cry when his dad had cut him up or when anyone in his gang had been killed. It's not that he didn't feel the pain, but that he had never let it show.

He hated that Bridget had this effect on him. He had it bad for the only girl that had broken his heart. It just had to happen, didn't it? Finally, he fell in love and she had to tear his heart out and step on it. He felt like he was going to die, that's how much pain he was in over her leaving. He just couldn't understand her. She had seemed just fine a week before she broke up with him. Saying she loved him and having sex with him. Staying the nights at his house and spending the days with him. Everything was as close to perfect as it could get. How could things have changed so suddenly? Her going from "I love you"s to "I don't love you anymore." He just couldn't comprehend what had gone on in that beautiful head of hers.

He fell asleep thinking, what did he do wrong? What happened to make her want to leave?

--------------

I was in the kitchen talking to Maria while she made dinner when I heard Travis come in with the mail. "Hey whore, there's an envelope here for you. What the hell kinda name is Ponyboy?"

"Shut up and give me." I reached for the envelope, but he pulled his hand away.

"I think I'll just open it and find out what's going on in that shit hole of a town that you call home."

"Listen, jackass, I'm not exactly in the mood today! My hormones are raging, my back is killing me, I can't see my feet, I've been having hot flashes all day, and I'm uncomfortably aroused, so I don't need any shit from you right now!" He raised his hands in mock-surrender and handed me the envelope. "Thank you."

Travis left and Maria stood behind me laughing. "Is all that really true?"

"For the most part," I said smiling. Maria smiled back. "But it is kinda uncomfortable. I can feel the baby kicking and moving around."

"Really?"

"Yeah. Come 'ere." She walked over to me and I took her hand, placing it on my belly. The baby kicked and she looked at me.

"I can see how that could be uncomfortable. If it's a boy, it was meant to play soccer or football. It's got quite the kick." I laughed. She looked at the envelope in my hand. "That's awfully thick."

"I know. He must've written me a book. I'll see you later." I headed out of the kitchen and headed for my room. I closed the door and lay down on my bed.

I opened the envelope and took out a bunch of different pages. There must've been one from every member of the gang. I flipped through them looking at the signatures. Frowning, I went back to the beginning and flipped through them again. There was one from Ponyboy, Soda, Darry, Steve, Dallas and Two-Bit, but not from Tim. I knew he was out of the cooler by now. And Soda had told me on the phone yesterday that he knew what I wrote in the letter, so I couldn't understand why there wasn't one from him. I went back to Pony's letter figuring it was kind of like the opener since it was first.

_Dear Bridget,_

_Things are going okay here. Nothing's really changed. We still live in the same house, on the same street, in the same town. Everything's still the same except for you not being here. Darry's still working hard, despite whatever he tells you. Sodapop has been on only one date; even though he'll probably tell you he's been out with tons of girls. Steve is still with Evie, and he is trying to be nice. Two-Bit is working things out with Kathy. They got in a fight over something, which he probably told you in his letter. Dallas is still with Sylvia. I'm doing good in school. All A's and B's so far. And lucky for us, no uniforms. Ha ha. _

_As you can tell, the gang all decided to write you their own letters. They didn't want me to do it for them. They all wanted to tell you things themselves. I guess they thought they couldn't trust me with their words; even if I am the writer in this group. Only joking._

_I'm also sure that you've seen that there's no letter from Tim. Well, I really don't want to tell you this, but he's not doing too well. He's really taking it hard that you're not here. I haven't seen him a bit. He hasn't been coming around the house lately. I've been hanging around Angela lately and she said that she hasn't seen much of him either. I guess he hasn't been home much. She's worried about him._

_So, how are you? Soda told me about the baby. I'm real happy for you. I can't believe you're going to be a mother. I never would've pictured you being the first one in the gang to have a baby. I would've thought that it would've been Dallas with all the girls he's slept with. Oh well, guess things don't always happen like you think they will. I can't wait to see more pictures. Make sure you send some of you with that big belly of yours. I want pictures of all your friends, too. We can document everything. Make a scrapbook of all that's happening so you can show it to your son/daughter when they're older. I hope that you'll come and visit some time. I miss you. _

_Stay gold,_

_Ponyboy Curtis_

So now two people knew my secret. I was glad that Pony knew. He sounded happy for me. And of course it would be him to think of documenting my pregnancy. I didn't even think of that. I smiled at his letter. Although there was that one part that I wasn't too ecstatic about. Tim was still upset with me. I hated it. I didn't mean for him to hate me. I wished I would've just told him. He wouldn't hate me then. He would know that I still loved him and that I would never deliberately do anything that would hurt him. I sighed and moved onto the next letter which was in different handwriting.

_Hey Bumble Bee,_

_How's it goin'? Everything's just peachy keen here. I miss you something awful. Can't believe you're not here for me to talk to and joke around with. My bestest friend in the world is hundreds of miles away, along with my niece or nephew. I know it ain't really my family, but it's gonna think it is. It's gonna be the happiest kid in the world with a mother like you. You're great and you know it. You'll be a great mother. You better send me pictures. That baby's gonna be gorgeous. Tim's blue-black hair and your green eyes. Absolutely beautiful. That girl's gonna have lots of admirers. Oh yeah, I probably shoulda mentioned you're having a girl. I've decided. I know it doesn't work that way, but I can feel it._

_So I know Pony said that I've only had one date (yeah, I was lookin over his shoulder when he was writin) and he's lying. Don't believe a thing he tells ya. I've had plenty of dates. Even made out with a few of them. They were beauties I tell ya. Might even go out with some of them again. So don't you worry bout me and those girls. I've got it made. Even got some socy girls down at the DX checkin me out. Hope you're happy now._

_Miss you like crazy. Love ya, babe._

_Soda_

Soda has always had that joking tone. He just sounds so happy-go-lucky even in his writing. So he thought I was going to have a girl. We'd see. He was right though; a little girl with black hair and green eyes would be beautiful. I wouldn't mind walking around anywhere with that baby, not that I'd mind walking with my baby anyway, but it'd be cute. And I know he's lying about all those girls. I knew that socs and greasers both flirted with him at the DX, but I don't really think that the socs would date him, just because of their social class. They all thought he was a doll when it came to flirting and talking, but on a real date, I don't think they'd dig it.

Well, next letter, new handwriting:

_Hey Girly,_

_Just so you know, me and my muscles are doing just fine. I've been showing them off on Soda. Ha ha. Still working roofing. Pony and Soda are still on me for carrying too much of it at a time. They think I'm gonna hurt myself. My muscles are kinda sore, but don't tell them that. No dates yet, but I do got my eyes on the daughter of the house we've been roofing. She's awfully pretty. Long brown hair and green eyes. Her name's Kaylyn, and she's around my age, a year younger I think. Real pretty. I think I already said that. Oh well. How're you doin anyway? Things real different there? Hope you're takin care of them like you did us. We really appreciated it, you know. We're missin you know for it. The house is kinda messy. We can't quite keep it clean. Another thing we're gonna have to work on. Well, hope you're enjoying yourself out there. Hope to hear from you soon._

_From, Darry_

_P.S. Soda's probably lying bout how many dates he's had. Only one. Just thought I'd let you know._

I laughed at that. Leave it to Soda to lie about that. My comic friend. And at least Darry's attracted to someone. I was starting to think he was going to spend his life alone, if he didn't find someone soon. Thank goodness he has. She sounded real pretty, too. I just hoped he worked up the courage to ask her out.

_Hello Bee,_

_How's things? Hope they're good. So I've really been tryin' to be nice to Pony for ya. It's harder than ya think it is. I ain't used to bein' nice to the kid. The sarcasm still drips out. Can't help it. Sorry. Me and Evie are still together. We've had our share of fights, but I guess you could say we're still goin' strong. Things are gonna work out with her, I think. Hope you're happy now. I'm really trying. Make sure you keep that in mind._

_Steve_

Short and straight to the point. That's what I liked about Steve. Didn't waste any time beating around the bush. It was good to know he was taking my advice and at least trying to be nice to Pony.

_Hey Doll,_

I knew it was Dallas. No one else would call me that.

_Glad to know that you feel so strongly about me. Startin' to think ya didn't give a damn. Kinda sound like that Butler guy in Gone with the Wind. 'Frankly, my dear, I don't give a damn.' See, I do pay attention. And you and Pony thought I wasn't just because I was throwin popcorn at the people in front of us. Shows what you know. Just kidding, babe. And I know you're probably right bout Sylvia. She is a bitch. A lyin, cheatin, bitch, but she's all I got. And with the whole mushy with me. Since when, girl? You weren't mushy the whole time we were together. So I got no clue what you're talking about. And I love you, too, doll. You're the best thing I got in my life. And don't worry, I don't wanna marry you either. Why would I wanna be tied down to one broad when I got the whole population of Tulsa. Only joking. I don't sleep around that much. And you better call or write or visit or something because I ain't gonna be too happy if ya don't. I ain't ever been one to hit girls, so don't make yourself the first. I better hear from you soon or else. Keep in mind that I love ya. We all do. _

_Dallas_

I smiled. My Dallas did love me. That was nice to know. And at least he did know that Sylvia wasn't worth his time. And I was actually shocked that he had paid attention to the movie. I really thought that he just came to mess around. Pony and I were sure annoyed by him that time. And he was all talk. He wouldn't hit me even if I never talked to him again. He wouldn't dare. Dally could be funny when he wanted to be.

The last letter in the pile was from who else but Two-Bit.

_Hey Little Sis,_

_Keith here._

Excuse me. What?

_Ha ha. Just kidding. I bet I got a reaction outta that one. Wish I could've seen your face. Would've been a laugh. So I guess I'm probably gonna say the same things that everyone else has. Miss ya, love ya, wish you were here. Blah blah blah. You know all that already. I'm gonna go further with that. I miss buggin ya and joking 'round with you. Ain't the same at home without you. Mom's awfully silent at home. She misses you like crazy. She ain't home much. Kathy and me worked everything out so you can stop hounding me now. I don't wanna hear anything of it from you. We're good and I don't wanna you bringing it up again._

_Anyways, how's things with dad? How's our evil stepmother and her demon children? Been to the beach yet? And those friends of yours, what's up with them? Meet any boys out there? You just be careful with them. I've heard stories. They're all like Dal, so don't go chasing 'em. Hit 'em good if they come onto you. Don't need anything happening to my baby sister. You make sure you call, or I'm gonna have to come over there. I'll figure out where it is. I guess I could always call you, but I think driving there and dragging you back to Tulsa would be more fun. _

_Love you._

_Big Brother_

That was it. No more papers left. It made me kind of sad. Just for a moment it was like I was with them. I could picture them telling me all this stuff, and when the letters ended, so did the images. I'd have to call them soon or I'd be hopelessly lonely; even if I did have friends here. It wasn't the same. I was going to have to start taking pictures or Soda and Pony would kill me. Bella, Greg, and Maria would have to help me with that.

I lay back on my pillows and closed my eyes, putting my hands on my stomach and rubbing it, trying to calm the kicking.


	7. Chapter 7

**Here's another chapter. I think this story will be coming to an end shortly. I'll be writing a third part to this series, so no need to worry about any unfinished business in this one. I think maybe only one or two chapters left. Hope you enjoy this. Please R&R.**

**I don't own the Outsiders.**

Chapter 7: Bridget (about 8 ½ months pregnant)

I was woken up to something being put on my bulging stomach. I opened my eyes to see Bella standing there with a cassette player, the headphones on my belly. "What are you doin'?" I asked.

"I read somewhere that babies can hear things outside of the womb after a certain amount of time. So I'm introducing your kid to the legends of rock."

I leaned over to listen to what was playing. "The Rolling Stones."

"Yup."

"If the first words outta my kid's mouth are 'I can't get no satisfaction,' I'm gonna kill you."

"Don't worry 'bout it."

"I'm completely serious."

"Yeah, yeah. So what do you say we go shopping?"

"What, you outta all your rebellious clothes already?"

"No, I figured we could get some stuff for the nursery. I mean it's all done, but it's not very personal. Too clean cut. Doesn't look much like a child's room."

"Alright. Lemme just get dressed."

"Yeah, I realized that you weren't exactly ready for the day. Those are some cute penguins on those pants though," she said smiling.

I stuck my tongue out at her and grabbed some clothes. I went into the bathroom and changed into a white, below-the-knee, spring dress and a light yellow cardigan. I walked out of the bathroom. "Well, don't you look pretty," she said as I slipped on my flip flops.

"Glad to know. I thought I looked like a balloon."

"Nah, it's more like a blimp." I glared at her. "Only joking. You aren't that big."

"Let's go." I grabbed my bag and headed out.

-------------

We were walking around the mall, eating ice cream cones, after a few hours of shopping. We had already bought some clothing and decorations for the nursery. I had to admit that my feet were getting sore. So when I found an empty bench, I sat down and put my bags down next to me, licking my ice cream.

"I'd have to say we did pretty good today," I said, looking at all our bags.

"Yes we did. This is one lucky baby," she said.

"Okay, so I have something to talk to you about."

"Shoot."

"Well, you know I can only bring one person into the delivery room with me, and I really don't wanna go in there alone. So I was wondering if you'd be that one person, since neither Tim nor Two-Bit is here."

"I'd be honored to let you squeeze the hell outta my hand and give me a major headache," she said smiling.

I smiled, too. "Great. Let's get outta here. I'm sick of shopping."

"Alright, let's go."

-------------

After putting away everything in the baby's room, we went back to my room to hang out. I put some music on while she climbed on my bed. "Can you get that?" I asked as the phone started ringing.

"Bridget Matthews' private line. Her personal assistant, Bella, speaking." I laughed. "Oh, hey Sodapop. What's up?"

"What's he calling for?" I asked.

"Says he's calling to check up on the mommy-to-be. He's asking if you're anxious with the due date coming up so soon."

"A little."

"She said a little."

"Let me talk to him." I grabbed the phone from her. "Hey Sodapop. How're you?"

'_I'm good. How you doin'?'_

"I'm alright. Can't wait to have this thing outta me."

He laughed. '_I'm sure'._

"So how're all those girls?"

'_They're great. Couldn't be better.'_

"Pleasin' all of 'em?"

'_I try._'

I laughed. "Yeah, right. Darry and Pony told me you've only been on one date. You can't hide it from me."

He laughed, too. '_Fine, fine. One date. At least I went out with someone.'_

"Yeah, you did."

'_So, the whole gang is here and they're dyin' to talk to ya. So I gotta pass the phone onto someone else.'_

"Okay, who's next?"

'_How 'bout Pony? Then we can get the baby talk over with.'_

"Alright, put him on."

'_Hello?'_

"Hey Pon. How're you?"

'_I'm good. You get our letters?'_

"Yup. It kept me busy reading all of 'em. It was funny seein' all the different handwritings. I didn't even know Two-Bit knew how to write," I joked.

He laughed. _'So you been takin' pictures?'_

"Of course. Bella, Greg, and Maria have been helping me. I'll send them to you soon."

'_Okay, good. How's the baby?'_

"He or she is doin' good. Still kickin' hard. Only a few more weeks."

'_You must be happy.'_

"Oh yeah. I want it outta me."

'_Soon enough.'_

"So what's goin' on with you and Angela?"

'_Nothing. We're both just worried about Tim.'_

"Sure, you were. Worried 'bout Tim. Did you kiss her yet?"

'_Bridget, nothing happened. We're just friends.'_

"C'mon, you can tell me."

'_Yes, alright? Happy now?'_

"Aww, Pony, that's cute. Bella, tell Pony that's cute." I held the phone in front of her mouth.

"Down right, adorable."

'_Aww, Bee, you didn't tell me she was there with you.'_

"Well, she's the one who answered. I figured Soda would've told you."

'_Oh boy. Guess it slipped his mind.'_

"Apparently."

'_Okay, everyone else still wants to talk to you, so hold on.'_

"Alright Pony. Talk to you later."

'_Bye.'_

I waited for the next person to get on the phone. _'Bee?'_

"Hey Stevie."

'_I really am tryin' to be nice to Pony. I hope you know that.'_

"I do. I'm glad that you are."

'_Good. How's Cali?'_

"It's good. Hot still, even in February. So it's kinda like Tulsa."

''_cept you got the beach.'_

"Yeah, I do." Not like I'd been to it. Pregnant me, plus bathing suit, really didn't produce a great image. "How's Evie?"

'_She's good. We're goin' out tonight. Drive-in. It'll be fun.'_

"I'm sure. I know what you boys do there."

He laughed. _'Who doesn't know what we do there?' _I smiled. _'Alright, Darry wants a turn.'_

"Okay, See ya, Stevie."

'_Hey Bridget.'_

"Hey Superman. How's Kaylyn? You ask her out yet?"

'_Actually, yes. Goin' out tomorrow night.'_

"That's great, Dar. I'm happy for you."

'_Thanks.'_

"You also gotta work on getting that house clean."

'_I'm tryin'. It's gettin' better.'_

"That's good. It's probably as clean as it's gonna get with three boys living there."

'_More like six.' _I laughed. _'How's things there?'_

"They're good. Me and Bella just got back from shopping."

'_And what'd you spend your money on?'_

"Clothes and food. What else is there?"

He laughed. _'Glad to hear you haven't changed.'_

"I'll never change. C'mon now, Superman. I'll always be Bridget."

'_Yeah, I know. Okay, I'm gonna give the phone to Two-Bit. He's buggin' me for it.'_

I laughed. "Alright. Talk to you later."

'_Hey Little Sis.'_

"Keith? KEITH?"

'_Ha ha. I knew that'd get a rise outta ya.'_

"Of course it did. Who in the world calls you Keith besides Mom?"

'_I don't know. So have you knocked some sense of humor into any of those Californians?'_

"I don't think so. Me and my friends are the only ones who can crack jokes."

'_Well, that sucks. You better get workin' on them. How's our evil stepmother and siblings?'_

"Still evil. Sarah and Susan I can kinda stand. But Travis gets on my nerves and vice versa. We don't get along too well."

'_Who cares? You don't need him for a brother anyways. You got me.'_

"Yes, I do. And I'm glad for that."

'_What else is goin' on there?'_

"Well, I'm sure you want me to answer your questions, so no, I haven't met any guys except for Travis's friends and they're all idiots. I haven't been to the beach, but I've seen it. It's beautiful. And you guys called, so now you don't gotta come drag me home."

'_That would've been fun though. Tying you up and throwing you in the trunk of my car.'_

"Yeah, if you car could even make it here."

'_You're probably right.'_

"I know I am."

'_So, Dallas is here next to me begging for the phone like a hound begging for a treat. I think I oughta give him it.'_

"Yeah, you better before he starts whimpering."

He laughed. _'Love you.'_

"Love you, too. Bye."

'_Hey Doll.'_

"Hey baby. What's shakin'?"

Dallas laughed. _'Baby, huh? You haven't called me that since we dated.'_

"Well, I thought I'd reminisce. You break up with Sylvia yet?"

'_Actually yes. Caught her two-timin' me again. Stupid broad.'_

"Not all girls are that bad, Dallas. You'll find someone worth your time and effort."

'_Yeah, you think so.'_

"No, I know so. There are plenty of girls that would be more than willing to date you."

'_More like fuck with me,' _he said bitterly.

"C'mon Dallas. There's someone out there who doesn't just want you for a good time in the sack, you just haven't found her yet."

'_Yeah, whatever Bee.'_

"I'm serious. You'll find her." He didn't say anything. "I guess you're the last one for me to talk to."

'_Actually, no. There's one more person. I'm gonna give him to ya. Love ya, babe. Talk to you later.'_

"Yeah. You too." I waited in anticipation as the phone was passed to the last person.

'_Hey.' _I melted at the sound of his voice.

"Hey Tim," I said more quietly and more unsurely than I had talked with the others. Bella looked at me at the mention of his name. "How are you?"

'_I'm really good actually. You?'_

"I'm alright."

'_You know you were right.'_

"About what?"

'_You said I'd find someone else and I did. Actually, a few someone's, if ya know what I mean.' _

Tears started coming to my eyes. Bella looked at me worriedly. "Oh, good for you," I said, struggling to keep the tears out of my voice.

'_Yeah, I actually gotta go. Gotta go meet one of them. Kara, I think her name is. Don't really remember. Whatever. Later.'_

Now, I couldn't control the tears that were pouring down my face. Soda came on the line. _'Bridget, I'm so sorry. I didn't know he was gonna say that stuff.'_

"No, its okay, Soda. I'll talk to you later. Bye." I hung up the phone and wiped at my eyes.

"Aww, Bee, what's wrong?" Bella asked, coming over and putting her arms around me. I buried my face in her shoulder.

"T-Tim said h-he's got m-multiple g-girls now. H-he's m-meeting one of them t-tonight."

"Oh, Bridget, I'm sorry."

"I-I thought he l-loved me. I-I didn't t-think that he'd f-find so m-many girls."

"I hate to say this, but you did dump him."

"But n-not by choice. I-I should've just t-told him. T-then none of this w-would be happening."

"I am sorry. But you'll find someone else right. You couldn't expect him to wait around for you forever."

"Yeah, b-but I guess I t-thought it'd be a little l-longer."

Bella sighed and rubbed the back of my head. "You'll get over it. I promise. Everything will get better." I really wanted to believe her, but I couldn't. I didn't want it to get better. I just wanted everything to go back to the way it was.

-----------

After Tim left the Curtis's, he went straight home and up to his room, where he spent the rest of the night. He didn't have a date with anyone named Kara. He had come up with that off the top of his head. He hadn't met a lot of girls. Hell, he hadn't even met one. Sure, he'd gone to Buck's every now and again, but nothing happened. All he did was drink and get into the occasional fight.

He had only said those things to hurt her as much as she had hurt him. Part of him hoped that it had, and the other part was feeling sorry he had said that. He knew it had hurt her. He had heard the tears in her voice, even though he could tell she was trying to hide it. He could read her like a book, whether she was in front of him or not. He could just picture her after hearing that: her beautiful green eyes filling with tears, overflowing and streaming down her cheeks. She would be wiping at her eyes, trying to keep them from filling over. Her hair would be falling into her face and he'd brush it away and tuck it behind her ear.

Frustrated, he punched his wall. He wouldn't be pushing her hair away from her face. He was the one that had caused her to cry. He couldn't help but feel bad now. He had gone a little far with that. The first time he can talk to her on the phone and he lies to her. He should've just told her how he was really feeling. He should've told her how he wanted her home, how he still loved her and couldn't get over her, how whenever he closed his eyes he saw her face behind his eyelids. He should've told her how it was becoming almost impossible for him to live without her. He couldn't concentrate on the gang, or his family. All he'd been doing lately was getting plastered and getting in trouble, more likely than not, with the police.

If he had told her the truth, she might've been on her way back to Tulsa, coming to be with him. He'd go meet her at the train station, and, when she'd get off the train, she'd see him and run into his arms, planting kisses all over his face. He'd drive her back to his place and show her how much he'd missed her. She'd finish high school with all her friends, and, when she'd graduated, he'd propose to her and she'd say yes. They'd move in together and start a family after awhile. He could just picture her, round with motherhood. She'd be glowing, and he'd love her no matter what. He'd forget about the cooler and getting in trouble and just be home with his family. Everything would be perfect.


	8. Chapter 8

**Hey y'all. This is the last chapter of Everything Changes. I hope you all enjoyed it. Just keep in mind that this is not the end for Bridget and Tim. I'll have the third installment up as soon as I can. Any loose ends will be tied up in that story. Thanks to all of you that read this and left me reviews. I appreciated it.**

**Disclaimer: I don't own The Outsiders**

Chapter 8: Bridget

"Uh oh," I said from the bathroom.

"'Uh oh' what?" Bella asked, both her and Greg looking at me cautiously from the doorway.

"I…I think my water just broke."

"What's that mean?" Greg asked.

"It means she's having the baby! C'mon, help me get her to your car."

"Jesus Christ!" he said and lifted me in his arms as easily as Darry would've. He carried me down the stairs and out of the house to his car. Bella disappeared momentarily to find Maria and to tell her to get a hold of my dad to let him know.

I was in the backseat, lying down, and Greg was in the driver's seat, waiting impatiently for Bella. She came and hopped in the car. "Okay, let's go." He sped out of the driveway and down the street. "Slow down!" Bella yelled. "We wanna get her there in one piece!" He slowed down, but just barely.

By the time we got to the hospital, I was breathing a little harder and faster than I was. "C'mon Bee. Hee hee hoo. Hee hee hoo," she said, doing the breathing exercises with me.

"Can somebody help us?" Greg said, carrying me into the ER room. "She's having a baby."

A nurse came over with a wheelchair and he placed me in it. "How far are the contractions apart?" she asked.

"About…a minute and a half," I said, breathing through the pain.

"Stay here and take care of whatever needs to be done. Wait for her family," Bella said to Greg as the nurse wheeled me through the doors.

-----------

"Okay, Bridget, only a few more pushes. On the count of three. One…two…three," Dr. McMahon said. I pushed and squeezed Bella's hand as hard as I could. "Okay." I 'relaxed' for a moment.

"You're doing great."

"Bella…"I said. "Shut up!" I wasn't exactly in a pleasant mood. I was sweating, and gross, and, oh yeah, I had a baby coming out of me that hurt like hell!

"I think one more push will do it. Ready…push," Dr. McMahon said. This time, I pushed my hardest. I wanted this thing out of me. I heard a baby crying and stopped pushing. My baby was finally here. "Congratulations, Ms. Matthews. It's a girl."

I smiled and lay back against my pillows. "Good job, mommy," Bella said smiling. "I'll be back. I'm gonna go tell everyone and call Soda."

"Yup," I said tiredly. All I wanted was to see my baby girl and go to sleep. Going through labor was exhausting work.

Bella left and the doctor placed my newly cleaned daughter in my arms. Tears of joy were streaming down my face as she opened her eyes for the first time. "Hey baby girl."

-----------

After informing Bridget's family and Greg of the new arrival, Bella went to call Soda. She dialed his number from memory, due to the fact that she had talked to him on the phone many times without Bridget. The phone rang twice before someone answered. _'Hello?'_

"Soda?"

'_Yeah?'_

"It's a girl!"

'_What? She had the baby? When?'_

"She went into labor last night and had her about thirty minutes ago."

'_Wow.'_ They were both silent. _'I told her it was gonna be a girl. I knew it.'_

"I know."

'_Does she have a name?'_

"Not yet." More silence followed.

'_What's she look like?'_

"Well, she was seven pounds three ounces, nineteen inches long. She's so small and her hands and feet are so tiny. She's got a tuft of curly, black hair and her eyes weren't open when I left."

'_Curly, black hair, huh? Just like Tim.'_

"Yeah."

'_She's just like a Shepard.'_

-----------

After about a week of being back to school, which I dreaded since I had to leave my baby, I arrived home only to be told by Sarah there was a dress on my bed and to be ready by seven because Dad and Susan were throwing a sort of 'coming out' party for me since I was no long 'troubled.' They really should've been used to the word 'pregnant.' It's not like they could hide it.

I eyed her warily and then went up to my room to put my books down. I didn't bother looking at the dress just yet, as I went to get my daughter, who was in her nursery. "Hey princess," I said as I lifted her out of her crib. I kissed her forehead and then carried her back to my room, placing her in her cradle swing. Then I proceeded to examine the dress. It wasn't bad. Not something I'd normally pick out, but not bad. It was a mint green, knee-length, spaghetti strap dress. I put it back on my bed and took out my homework. I kissed my princess on the nose before sitting down to do it.

Around six, we went back to the nursery. Feeding time. I sat down in the rocking chair and lifted my shirt, feeding my baby. I burped her, changed her, and then placed her in her crib for the night as I went to get ready for the party.

-----------

When I went downstairs, people were already there. They, too, were dressed in their evening wear. I put on a fake smile and went to find my dad, greeting familiar people along the way. I found him and Susan, off to the side in the living room, talking to an important-looking man and his—what I assumed to be—wife. "Bridget, there you are!" my dad said smiling as I reached them. "This is Frank Desmaris. He owns the company I work at."

"Nice to meet you, Mr. Desmaris," I said, reaching out my hand.

"Please, call me Frank." He took my hand and kissed it. He straightened back up and he must've caught me eyeing the woman with him because the next thing he said was, "Bridget, this is Lucille." That was it. No 'this is Lucille, my wife' or 'this is Lucille, my girlfriend' or 'this is Lucille, my sister.' Just 'Lucille.'

I smiled. "Nice to meet you."

She forced a smile.

"Hello Mr. and Mrs. Matthews, Mr. Desmaris." Startled, I looked to my side and saw Bella. "I was wondering if I could borrow Bridget for a moment."

"Not at all. Go enjoy yourselves," my dad said.

"Thanks." Bella grabbed my arm and started pulling me away.

"Don't you look girly tonight. I almost didn't recognize you without your mask," I said teasingly.

"I know, dreadful, isn't it," she said seriously. We stopped when we were a good distance away. "Lucille Armstrong."

"What?"

"That's her name. She's Frank's mistress."

"What about his wife?"

"Oh, she's probably off cruising the Caribbean with her current boy toy. They both have their flings. I don't think I've ever seen them together."

I laughed. "Wow, lifestyles of the rich and famous, huh? Cali's finest sleeping around. Love it."

"Don't love it too much. Frank was checking you out. That's why Lucille didn't seem too pleased to meet you. Competition."

"First, how do you know he was checking me out, and, second, might I say, eww."

Bella laughed. "I've seen it all before. I've known these people all my life."

"Oh yeah, forgot." We looked around at the crowd. "Where's Greg?"

"Home with the flu. Lucky bastard. Wish he'd given it to me."

"You'd actually leave me here to fend for myself?"

"You'd have Maria."

"Who is stuck in the kitchen for the night." Bella just shrugged. I stuck my tongue out at her.

We were laughing until someone bumped into me and I was pushed into her. We turned to look at who it was. I made a disgusted face when I did.

"C'mon baby. You don't have to hide that you're happy to see me."

"Listen, jackass, I don't wanna deal with you tonight. It's bad enough I actually had to come to this thing and leave my baby, but I don't wanna spend my night dealing with bastards like you," I told Lucas.

He dismissed it with a wave of his hand. "Let's you and me go upstairs and have a party of our own."

"Look, I'm not pregnant anymore. The next time it could actually be yours."

"Speaking of pregnancy, where is that bastard kid of yours?" Bella looked completely horrified. It took all I had not to break his nose.

"You're so lucky other important people are around, otherwise I'd kick your ass."

He laughed. "Like you could."

"I dated the two toughest hoods in Tulsa and I grew up around nine boys. You think I can't fight? Try me." Bella started smirking.

"Hey Luke, c'm 'ere," Travis yelled. Lucas looked at me and then walked away.

"Nine boys, huh?" Bella said.

"Yup, and I fought with pretty much all of 'em."

"Very nice. That comes in handy."

We stood around talking about the people in my house and making fun of a few of their outfits. That was until I said, "I'll be back."

"Where you goin'?"

"Kitchen."

She thought for a moment. "Oh no, Bee. She's fine."

"I just gotta make sure." I walked into the kitchen and sat down on a stool next to the baby monitor.

"Has she cried at all?" I asked as Maria came into view.

"No, she's been a perfect angel."

"Are you sure? Not even the slightest sound?"

"Positive."

I sat there listening closely. "C'mon Bee. Let's go back out there. Think of all the fashion mistakes we're missing," Bella said. I didn't move.

"I'm gonna go check on her. Just to make sure she's all right." I got up and headed up the back stairs before either one of them could say anything, although I did hear them sigh.

I walked into the nursery and over to the crib. I peered in and saw her eyes opened wide, staring back at me and smiling. I smiled and lifted her up, walking over to the rocking chair and looking out into the backyard, the full moon reflecting off the pool.

-----------

"Hey Soda, there's a package here from Bridget," Pony said going into his and Soda's room.

"Open it up," Soda said, sitting down on the bed where his younger brother had placed the package.

Pony sat down next to Soda and opened it up. It was filled to the top with photographs. Pony started laughing. "Guess she was taking pictures."

They started going through all of them, laughing at the funny faces they were making in them or smiling at Bridget with her round stomach. There were a lot of pictures. They got down to the point where there was only one picture left. Soda lifted it out and looked at it smiling. "Pon, look."

He looked over Soda's shoulder and smiled. "She definitely looks like a Shepard," he said, smiling at the little girl's curly, black hair and deep blue eyes.

Soda flipped it over and looked at the back.

_Melody Jane Shepard_

_March 26__th__, 1968_


End file.
